Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will be in Brussels from January 8-9 for high-level discussions to advance the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union.
The two-day visit comes at a critical stage of the negotiations, highlighting India’s efforts to secure a comprehensive trade deal with the EU, its largest trading partner and key investor.
The India-EU FTA negotiations, restarted in June 2022 after a nine-year hiatus, saw 14 rounds of intensive discussions as well as several high-level ministerial dialogues. The last commitment at ministerial level took place in December 2025.
According to the official statement, during the visit to Brussels, Goyal will meet with the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefčovič. The talks aim to provide strategic guidance to the negotiating teams, resolve outstanding issues and accelerate the conclusion of a balanced and ambitious agreement.
The ministerial discussions will cover key areas of the proposed FTA, narrowing differences and clarifying outstanding issues. This commitment follows intense technical deliberations earlier this week (January 6-7) between India’s Commerce Secretary, Rajesh Agrawal, and the European Commission’s Director-General for Trade, Sabine Weyand.
India is pushing for duty-free access for its labor-intensive sectors, including textiles, leather, clothing, gems and jewelry, and handicrafts.
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The upcoming negotiations are expected to reaffirm their commitment to a rules-based trade framework and a modern economic partnership that protects the interests of farmers and MSMEs while integrating Indian industries into global supply chains, the official statement said.
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