India, EU aim to seal trade pact at the earliest: Commerce Secretary

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal held discussions with EU commissioner for trade and economic security, during December 8-9 to provide strategic guidance to the FTA negotiating teams

India and the European Union (EU) held intense discussions here over the last one week as both sides aim to work towards concluding the long-pending trade agreement at the earliest. 

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held talks with Maroš Šefčovič, EU commissioner for trade and economic security, on December 8 and 9 to provide strategic guidance to the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiating teams. 

Šefčovič’s visit was preceded by high-level discussions between Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and Director-General Trade, European Commission, in New Delhi on Sunday, emphasising the shared commitment to “intensify dialogue and collaboration, with a focused determination to advance the negotiations towards a timely and mutually beneficial conclusion”, the commerce department said on Tuesday. 

These visits took place against the backdrop of the technical discussions that were held from December 3 to 9 in New Delhi and that saw deliberations on key chapters of the proposed trade deal, including market access for goods, rules of origin, services, technical barriers to trade, trade and sustainable development, among others. 

“During their engagement, Union Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Trade Commissioner Šefčovič carried out detailed deliberations across key areas of the proposed agreement. Both sides took note of the steady progress achieved across various negotiating tracks, and agreed on the need to sustain the current momentum through continued exchanges,” an official statement said. 

The ministerial-level discussions reaffirmed the strong political resolve on either side to address pending issues through constructive engagement and to work towards a comprehensive, mutually advantageous outcome, it said.