Piyush Goyal meets EU officials ahead of his visit to Brussels to promote India-EU FTA negotiations

Geneva (Switzerland), October 22 (ANI): Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday held meetings with senior officials of the European Union to discuss outstanding issues related to the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), ahead of his visit to Brussels next week.
In an article on “The shared commitment of both parties to redefine the relationship is deeply encouraging,” he wrote.

We had a productive engagement focused on positively resolving outstanding issues regarding the India-EU FTA with Mr. @MarosSefcovicEuropean Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, before my visit to Brussels which begins next week.

The commitment shared on both sides… https://t.co/vhOys7SSXk

– Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 22, 2025

The EU Trade Commissioner also expressed optimism after the meeting, saying both sides were determined to “continue to make progress and elevate trade and investment relations between the EU and India to a new level.”
On the sidelines of the UNCTAD16 conference, Goyal also met with Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition at the European Commission. Discussions focused on advancing cooperation in areas related to sustainable growth and green transitions.
According to Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, trade talks between India and the European Union are now in their final stages and could be concluded by December this year. “The trade negotiations are progressing very well. There is a good chance that they will be concluded by December. We are at the last stage of the negotiations,” he said earlier this month.
The 14th round of negotiations, held in Brussels from October 6 to 10, covered 12 policy areas and 91 technical sessions. The discussions focused on key issues such as market access for goods and services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT).
Agrawal said officials from the Indian team remained in Brussels to continue negotiations on rules of origin – a crucial element that defines the amount of local content that must be used in a product to qualify for tariff benefits under the FTA.
Goyal had previously described the FTA as a partnership between “the $20 trillion European Union of 27 countries and India, the world’s fastest-growing large economy.” He said the two sides had had “very good discussions” and were working to reach a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement.
The India-EU Free Trade Agreement, once finalized, is expected to significantly boost trade and investment flows between New Delhi and Brussels. The pact also aims to deepen cooperation in the areas of technology, sustainability and supply chain resilience.
With the FTA negotiations progressing and multi-level bilateral discussions continuing, India’s trade engagement with its global partners is expected to gain momentum in the coming months. (ANI)