India-EU FTA differences narrowed, more meetings planned, says Commerce Secretary

New Delhi (India), December 15 (ANI): Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, speaking on the India-EU FTA, said, “We are reducing differences and there will be more physical and virtual meetings.
“We have conducted almost 14 rounds of negotiations so far. Their team was here for a whole week in December and both sides were deeply engaged on multiple issues. We are narrowing the differences,” he said.
“When you get closer, there are a series of differences. So now we are narrowing them down. Both sides are practically engaged on multiple issues,” he said.
“There will be physical and virtual meetings to carry out this project. We are moving forward on this path and working tirelessly to achieve results,” he said.
The Commerce Secretary also spoke about the US BTA and the recent visit of the US Trade Representative (USTR) team.
“The recent USTR visit was important because it provided an opportunity to take stock of our trade relations, as well as where we are in terms of negotiations,” he said.
“We are very close to the framework, which will probably be put in place in a short period of time,” he said.
“I will not set a deadline before the conclusion of negotiations,” he added.
Announcing the trade deficit data, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal highlighted the recent trade agreements signed by India, as well as meetings held with major economies across the world.
“As part of bilateral engagements, the 7th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) was held in New Delhi on November 13, 2025,” he said.

The dialogue took place during the official visit of the Canadian Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, who visited India from November 11 to 14, 2025 at the invitation of the High Commission of India in Canada (HICIM).
“Progress was also reported in FTA negotiations between India and the European Union (EU), with the 16th round being held in New Delhi from December 3-9, 2025.”
The EU negotiating team visited India during this period and a series of high-level meetings were held to assess progress.
A review meeting of the Secretary General of Commerce (Commerce) was held on December 7, 2025, aimed at assessing progress and resolving outstanding issues. This was followed by a meeting of India-EU Trade Ministers on December 8-9, 2025, which provided strategic guidance to the negotiating teams.
“Both sides recognized their constructive engagement, agreed to intensify technical work and reaffirmed their commitment to bridging remaining differences in order to conclude a balanced and mutually beneficial FTA at the earliest,” the Commerce Secretary said.
As part of the Europe-focused engagements, the 19th India-Romania Joint Economic Commission (JEC) met in Bucharest on November 5, 2025, while the 10th India-Slovenia Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (JCTEC) was held in New Delhi on November 25, 2025.
On the Asia-Pacific front, negotiations on the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) are underway. Since the first round held in February 2023, 11 rounds of negotiations have been completed. The next round is scheduled for January 2026, he said.
India’s FTA discussions with its Latin American partners are also progressing. Under the India-Peru FTA, nine rounds of negotiations have taken place since negotiations began in 2017, with the most recent round taking place from November 3-5, 2025.
Meanwhile, negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Chile, launched on April 1, 2025, were completed in four rounds, with the last one taking place from December 1 to 5, 2025.
Negotiations for an India-New Zealand FTA, launched in May 2025, have seen four rounds concluded so far, with the latest round being held from November 3-7, 2025.
The Commerce Secretary further said that India has also initiated FTA negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The first round of negotiations was held from November 26 to 28, 2025, and the next round is proposed for February 2026. (ANI)