New Delhi: Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Trade and Industry, will visit Brussels, Belgium, on October 27-28 to hold talks with Maros Sefcovic, Executive Vice President and European Commissioner for Trade of the European Union, with a view to concluding a comprehensive trade deal at the earliest.
Building on the momentum generated by the 14th round of talks held earlier this month, Goyal’s visit aims to provide strategic direction and political impetus to the negotiations, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Sunday. “Discussions are expected to cover key areas of the proposed FTA (free trade agreement), including market access, non-tariff measures and regulatory cooperation. The visit will also serve to review progress made so far and identify areas requiring further convergence.”
India and the EU stepped up efforts to finalize the long-awaited free trade deal as negotiators from New Delhi remained in Brussels after the latest round, held earlier this month, to resolve the most contentious issues, including rules of origin.
FTA Progress
On October 16, Mint reported that the central government had asked its negotiating team, led by Special Secretary L. Satya Srinivas, to resolve looming issues in the FTA negotiations with the EU before returning to New Delhi, underscoring its keenness to conclude the deal by the end of the year.
At the heart of the dispute is the EU’s demand for stricter origin standards to ensure third-country products do not enter the bloc via India, particularly in sensitive categories such as agricultural products, spirits, wines and other products with geographical indication (GI) status prized for their cultural and commercial value.
Another major point of friction between New Delhi and Brussels is the mutual acceptance of agricultural products.
Without a recognition agreement, food and agricultural exports are subject to repeated testing and certification, delaying authorizations and inflating compliance costs. Agriculture remains one of the most difficult chapters to close in the current negotiations.
“Minister Goyal’s visit to Brussels therefore marks an important step in translating this common vision into concrete results,” said the Ministry of Commerce press release. “This reflects India’s unwavering commitment to deepening its engagement with the European Union, one of its largest trading partners, and advancing an agreement that contributes to resilient supply chains, sustainable growth and a rules-based global trading system.”
Currently, India and the EU have completed 14 rounds of negotiations, the last of which was held in Brussels from October 6-10.
The latest round covered 12 policy areas through 91 technical sessions, including market access for goods and services, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, technical barriers to trade and controversial rules of origin.
Main disputes
The India-EU trade talks span 23 policy chapters, from investment protection and public procurement to dispute resolution, geographical indications and sustainable development, underscoring the scale and ambition of what both sides hope will be a historic deal.
India has accelerated its efforts to secure free trade deals with its major partners, while working to resolve its differences with the United States following President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian goods.
Trade in goods with the EU reached around $136.5 billion ( ₹11.6 lakh crore) in 2024-25 in value terms, which constitutes about 10% of India’s global trade.
During 2024-2025, India exported goods worth $75.8 billion to the bloc, while its imports totaled $60.7 billion, cementing the EU’s position among India’s largest trading partners.
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