India and the European Union (EU) finished the 11th round of commerce on the free trade agreement (ALE) proposed, agreeing to continue a two-step approach to finalize the agreement, according to an official source cited by the PTI news agency on Sunday.
Negotiations on EU trade in India has focused on key areas such as market access for goods, services and investment. Commerce secretary, Sunil Barthwal, had previously explained the justification for the progressive approach, saying: “If some of the problems that may not be absolutely central to trade could take a little more time, then it is preferable to focus on basic trade problems. So we say that we can first go faster. “
“The 11th round of talks ended on May 16,” said the manager, as PTI reported. A successful agreement should stimulate the competitiveness of exports from India to the EU in sectors such as agricultural products, peaches, pharmaceutical products, chemicals, fertilizers, textiles and clothing, car parts, wood paste, paper, steel, petroleum products and electric machines.
The Minister of the Union and the Minister of Industry, Piyush Goyal, examined progress during his visit to Brussels on May 1. The talks resumed in June 2022 after a break of eight years, after a break in 2013 on concerns about market access.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen committed on February 28 to conclude the agreement by the end of 2025. Negotiations cover 23 political areas, including trade in goods and services, investment protection, customs procedures, technical obstacles, intellectual property rights and sustainable development.
In 2023-2024, trade in EU bilateral products in India was $ 137.41 billion, with Indian exports worth $ 75.92 billion and imports to $ 61.48 billion – which makes EU’s largest negotiation partner. The EU represents approximately 17% of the total exports of India, while exports to India represent 9% of total sales abroad.
During the previous series of talks, namely the 10th round, took place in Brussels between March 10 and 14, 2025. The chief negotiators focused their attention to the central fields of the FTA, including the trade in goods (TIG), the commercial and phytosanitary appeals (SPS), the technical obstacles to the trade (TBT), the commercial services (TR), the rules of origin (ROO). Government of Government (GP), Original Services (ROO), Government and Sustainable Development (TSD), with a particular accent on the chapters linked to market access.
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