India and the European Union have asked officials to resolve outstanding issues and speed up negotiations to finalize the draft free trade agreement, an official statement said on Saturday. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Piyush Goyal, and the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, met in Brussels to assess the progress of the negotiations. Goyal’s two-day visit ended on January 9.

“The two leaders provided advice to the negotiating teams to resolve outstanding issues and accelerate the conclusion of the agreement,” the Commerce Ministry said. The meetings focused on progress made on the main areas of negotiation, including market access for goods, rules of origin and services.

The ministerial engagement was preceded by high-level talks between Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and the European Commission’s Director-General for Trade, Sabine Weyand, on January 6-7, 2026.

Officials worked to “reduce differences” and clarify outstanding issues, paving the way for ministerial dialogue, the statement said. The discussions reaffirmed the strong political resolve of both sides to resolve outstanding issues through constructive engagement, with both sides aiming to conclude the negotiations at the earliest.
(With PTI inputs)