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EU-India Free Trade Agreement
India will get an "unprecedented" market access at concessional duties for over 99 per cent of its exports by value in the European Union (EU) market, providing a boost to domestic labour-intensive sectors, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. The two sides announced on January 27 the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA). "India and the EU, under the leadership of PM @NarendraModi ji, European Commission President @VonderLeyen and European Council President @AntonioCostapm have inked the 'Mother of all Trade Deals'," he said in a social media post. Goyal said that the pact is a strategic breakthrough in the country's global trade engagement, unlocking vast opportunities in the USD 20 trillion EU market for 1.4 billion people. "It is a deal that gives unprecedented market access for over 99 per cent of our exports by value, providing a massive impetus to our labour-intensive sectors and bolstering Make In India," the minister said. T
India and Europe have concluded the "mother of all" trade deals, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the top EU leadership held summit talks to elevate the two-way ties to jointly navigate geopolitical turbulence and trade disruptions. Prime Minister Modi hosted von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa at the summit. "Europe and India are making history today. We have concluded the mother of all deals. We have created a free trade zone of two billion people, with both sides set to benefit," Von der Leyen said. "This is only the beginning. We will grow our strategic relationship to be even stronger," she said. The two EU leaders graced the 77th Republic Day celebrations at the Kartavya Path as chief guests on Monday. The long-awaited free trade agreement is expected to significantly expand the overall trajectory of two-way engagement as it will open up new opportunities for cooperation in diverse .
India and European Union on Tuesday explored ways to integrate their defence supply chains under a broader goal of deepening bilateral strategic ties. The issue figured prominently at a meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held with European Union's chief of foreign and security affairs Kaja Kallas. "Discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues including opportunities for integrating supply chains for building trusted defence ecosystems and future-ready capabilities," Singh said on X. "Looking forward to greater cooperation between India and the EU countries," he said. The meeting took place ahead of the India-EU summit talks.
India and EU trade ministers have directed officials to resolve pending issues and expedite the negotiations to finalise the proposed free trade agreement, an official statement said on Saturday. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic met in Brussels and took stock of progress of negotiations. The two-day visit of Goyal concluded on January 9. "Both leaders provided guidance to negotiating teams to resolve pending issues and expedite the agreement," the commerce ministry said. The meetings focused on reviewing the progress achieved across various negotiating tracks including Market Access for Goods, Rules of Origin, and Services. The ministerial engagement was preceded by high-level discussions between Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and Director-General for Trade, European Commission Sabine Weyand, on January 6-7, 2026. The officials worked to "narrow divergences" and ensure clarity on outstanding issues,
European Union Ambassador to India Herve Delphin on Wednesday said that there is "strong political commitment" from both sides to conclude the revamped India-EU Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2025. Of the 23 chapters under discussion, 11 have already been closed. Important chapters still under negotiation include market access for cars, steel, some aspects of services and investment and technical barriers to trade, Ambassador Delphin said. "No doubt, there is a strong political commitment to conclude the FTA negotiations by the end of the year," he added. Herve Delphin stated that a 40-member EU negotiator team is arriving in Delhi this week to resolve lingering hurdles. Current bilateral goods trade stands at approximately USD 136 billion, making the EU India's third-largest trading partner after the US and China. Delphin emphasised that the agreement is WTO-compatible and not a zero-sum game. EU and India combined represent 25 per cent of world GDP and 25 per cent of global
India has emphasised that resolving non-tariff barriers faced by businesses is as important as addressing import duty issues for meaningful progress in talks on the proposed free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), an official statement said on Friday. The progress of the talks was discussed during the meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in Brussels. Both leaders also reaffirmed their shared resolve to conclude the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of 2025. "India emphasised that meaningful progress in trade negotiations requires an equal focus on Non-tariff Barriers (NTBs) alongside tariff (import duty) discussions and regulatory frameworks must be inclusive, proportionate, and avoid restricting trade," the commerce ministry said. The country has earlier on multiple occasions flagged NTBs being faced by domestic industry in the European Union markets
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is likely to visit two European countries later this month with an aim to further boost trade and investment ties, an official has said. The minister is expected to lead a business delegation to these countries, the official said. The visit assumes significance as India signed a comprehensive free trade agreement with the four European nation bloc EFTA in March last year. It is expected to be implemented this year. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The two sides signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on March 10, 2024. Under the pact, India has received an investment commitment of USD 100 billion in 15 years from the grouping while allowing several products such as Swiss watches, chocolates and cut and polished diamonds at lower or zero duties. India has set up a dedicated platform EFTA desk to promote trade, investment, and business facilitation .
India and the 27-nation European Union (EU) bloc will start the tenth round of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement from Monday in Brussels amid Trump tariff threats, according to an official. The talks are expected to focus on resolving remaining issues so that the agreement can be finalised by the end of this year. During the recent visit of EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, the two sides have discussed ways to accelerate efforts towards a balanced and mutually beneficial trade pact. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month agreed to conclude the ambitious India-EU free trade deal by this year amid fears of the Trump administration's threat of higher tariffs. "The two sides are scheduled to hold the tenth round of negotiations for the FTA from March 10-14 in Brussels," the official said. In June 2022, India and the 27-nation EU bloc resumed the negotiations after a gap of over eight .
India and the European Union will hold the next round of talks on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) from March 10 to 14, a senior government official said on Monday. Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce L Satya Srinivas said that before the round the entire delegation of the European Commission will be in India from February 28. Days before the visit of the European Commission team, UK's Minister of State for Trade Policy Douglas Alexander will be in India for a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on February 24. On February 25th, officials of India and UK will restart talks on the free trade agreement. "We have taken stock of where we left in the last round (14th) and will take it forward during the visit," Satya Srinivas said. India and the UK have held 14 rounds of negotiations on the FTA since its launch in January 2022.
Britain's Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, on Monday revealed plans to visit India next month with a focus on finalising the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations as part of the UK government's ambition to elevate the bilateral partnership across all sectors. Addressing India Global Forum's (IGF) annual UK-India Parliamentary Lunch at the House of Lords complex in London, Reynolds highlighted the strength of the bilateral trading relationship which stood at GBP 41 billion in the year until September 2024. However, the Cabinet minister went on to reaffirm the British government's commitment to improve trade between India as the fifth and the UK as the sixth largest economies of the world. I want to reaffirm the UK's commitment to deliver growth for both countries through the trade deal that we're talking about, through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Technology Security Initiative; and I can let you know exclusively, I hear what you say
The proposed free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and the European Union (EU) need political directions to reach a commercially meaningful deal while understanding each other's sensitivities, an official statement said on Thursday. The pact came up for discussion during an interaction between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Ambassadors of the European Commission delegation. Goyal said that both sides are aiming for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive and mutually beneficial FTA. "The FTA negotiations, after 9 rounds of intense engagement, need political directions to arrive at a commercially meaningful deal while understanding the sensitivities of each other," the commerce and industry ministry said. The minister also noted that any sustainability discussions must appreciate the principle of 'Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR)' and implementation of such measures should take into account differing paths of development. These remarks