India and the European Union (EU) held a week-long series of talks in New Delhi as part of their ongoing efforts to finalize a comprehensive and balanced trade deal, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Friday. A team of EU negotiators has visited India for detailed deliberations on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA).
“A team of high-level negotiators from the European Union (EU) visited New Delhi from 3 to 7 November 2025 for negotiations with their Indian counterparts on the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA),” the ministry said in a statement.
Broad scope of discussions
The week-long talks aimed to advance negotiations towards a comprehensive, balanced and mutually beneficial trade deal. The deliberations covered a wide range of areas, including goods, services, investments, trade and sustainable development, rules of origin and technical barriers to trade, the ministry noted.
As part of the discussions, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal held detailed meetings with the European Commission’s Director-General for Trade, Sabine Weyand, to assess the progress made in the various negotiating tracks. The two-day stocktaking meetings, held on November 5 and 6 in New Delhi, reviewed key outstanding issues in the India-EU FTA negotiations. Both sides agreed to further accelerate efforts to reach a balanced trade deal.
India seeks clarification of EU regulations
The Commerce Secretary reaffirmed India’s commitment to achieving an outcome that promotes economic growth and development while ensuring fair and balanced distribution of benefits. He also highlighted the need for clarity and predictability in the implementation of new EU regulatory measures, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the proposed new steel regulations.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the substantial progress made in several areas of negotiations and agreed to maintain the positive momentum. The discussions helped narrow differences and reach common agreement on many issues. The officials stressed the importance of continued engagement at the technical level in the coming weeks to bridge remaining differences and work towards concluding the India-EU FTA negotiations at the earliest.
The negotiations and stocktaking meetings reflected the strong commitment of both sides to deepen the India-EU partnership and finalize an ambitious and forward-looking agreement that promotes resilient, sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
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