India-EU FTA: 10 chapters out of 20 concluded, 4 to 5 others “largely decided”, according to Piyush Goyal

Negotiations between India and the European Union on a free trade agreement have passed the halfway mark, with 10 of the 20 chapters of the agreement having been finalized and several more chapters nearing completion, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday (October 29, 2025).

The minister returned from a three-country tour over the past week, having visited Geneva for the 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Berlin for the Berlin Global Dialogues and Brussels to “deepen our negotiations with the European Union” for an FTA, Mr Goyal told a press briefing.

“We made significant progress during the three days of discussions between the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, and his team, as well as our team in several areas,” said Mr Goyal.

Closed chapters

“We agreed to close 10 chapters out of 20,” he added. “Four to five other chapters have in principle been largely decided.”

He added that on a growing number of issues, the two teams are moving toward convergence. The EU team is expected to visit New Delhi next week for the next round of negotiations, and Mr Sefcovic will visit the capital in late November or December, the minister said.

On whether FTA negotiations with the EU would be completed by the end of the calendar year, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in February, Goyal said the priority was to find a “good deal” rather than meeting deadlines.

“We have received advice from our leaders, but this advice does not mean that we enter into any agreement,” he said. “It has to be a good deal.”

In a press release issued earlier today, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said that issues related to steel, automobiles, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and other EU regulations still require further discussions “as these issues are more sensitive.”

On CBAM, Mr Goyal said the issue had been discussed “in detail” over the past week and the Indian team had set out the country’s position very strongly. He said discussions on the topic were “going in the right direction.”

“Voice of the South”

The minister revealed that he would speak via video conference on Wednesday evening (October 29) with New Zealand’s trade minister and that the Indian negotiating team would visit the country next Tuesday “to attempt to substantially conclude the FTA negotiations.”

“At UNCTAD, India has once again demonstrated that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we speak for the South,” Mr. Goyal said. “We represent the voice of the less privileged, less developed or developing economies and advocate collective action for the good, peace and prosperity of the world. »

Mr. Goyal said that during the Berlin Global Dialogues, he met his German counterparts, other German government ministers and several European companies.

“These have shown that more and more countries and almost all companies today want to expand their relations with a resurgent, strong, decisive, democratic and ambitious India,” he said.