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India-EU FTA
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held talks with European Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in New Delhi ahead of a new round of India-EU trade negotiations.In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "A pleasure to meet European Trade & Economic Security Commissioner @MarosSefcovic in New Delhi today. Confident that the Commissioner and his team will have productive discussions in India."Officials earlier confirmed to ANI that negotiating teams from India and the European Union will hold a two-day round of discussions on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), beginning Monday and continuing through Tuesday.The meeting marks another step in efforts to deepen India-EU economic ties. FTA negotiations between the two sides were revived in June 2022 after a long pause.EU Ambassador to India Herve Delphin while addressing India's World Annual Conclave 2025 last week, said the current phase of discussions represents a complete shift in approach, describing
Negotiators of India and the EU on Monday commenced talks to resolve outstanding issues in the proposed free trade agreement, as the deadline to conclude the talks nears, the commerce ministry said. A team of negotiators from the European Union (EU) is here from November 3-7 for negotiations with Indian counterparts on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Deliberations during the week will focus on core areas, including trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin amongst others, along with technical and institutional matters. "The engagements aim to resolve key outstanding issues and advance the agreement toward a balanced and equitable framework that benefits both sides," the ministry said in a statement. This visit follows Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal's official visit to Brussels (27-28 October, 2025), where he held forward-looking discussions with Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security. "These consultations reaff
India and the European Union have agreed to continue discussions on issues pertaining to steel, auto, and carbon tax, as these areas carry higher sensitivities, under the proposed free trade agreement, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday. India has also pitched for ensuring redressal of both tariff and non-tariff barriers in the pact, besides creating transparent and predictable regulatory frameworks to boost bilateral trade, it said. These issues came up for discussions during the three-day visit of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to Brussels. He met EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic and gave an impetus to the ongoing negotiations. The minister's official visit concluded on October 28. "They also agreed that issues related to steel, auto, CBAM (carbon border adjustment mechanism), and other EU regulations still require further discussion, as these issues have higher sensitivities," the ministry said. The EU has announced regulations su
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday conveyed to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi Greece's support for the early conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-EU free trade agreement. The issue figured during a phone conversation between the two prime ministers. Modi and Mitsotakis also took stock of bilateral ties between India and Greece, especially in areas of trade, investment and defence. "Both leaders welcomed developments in bilateral relations across sectors such as trade, investment, technology, shipping, defence, security, connectivity and people-to-people ties, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the India-Greece strategic partnership," according to an Indian readout. It said Mitsotakis conveyed Greece's support for the early conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-EU free trade agreement and for the success of the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India in 2026. The call was initiated by the Greek leader. The 13th round of negotiations
Finland's Ambassador to India, Kimmo Lhdevirta, expressed confidence on Monday about finalising a much-awaited trade deal between India and the European Union (EU) by year-end. The ambassador inaugurated the honorary consulate of Finland in Ahmedabad. Kulin Lalbhai, a prominent businessman from Gujarat and Vice Chairman of Arvind Ltd, has been appointed as the Honorary Consul of Finland. The Finnish ambassador termed as "historic" the visit of the European Union College of Commissioners to India in February, stressing for a solution agreeable to both parties. "It was a really historic visit, and I think it also created very good momentum for the negotiations to go ahead. I think both leaders on the European side and India are now committed to the goal of having an agreement by the end of this year," he told reporters. Admitting that a lot of work needs to be done, Lhdevirta emphasised there is a good chance to achieve this goal. "At the moment, I would say that the momentum and t
India and the European Union (EU) have decided to accelerate efforts to advance the negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), with the next round scheduled to begin here on May 12, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce L Satya Srinivas said that the tenth round of talks focused on areas like market access offers in goods, services, investment and government procurement. "Both sides have agreed to accelerate efforts to advance the negotiations," he told reporters here. The 11th round is scheduled from May 12-16. On the India-UK trade pact, he said both teams are working to resolve the pending issues. Further, he said that negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) between India and South American nation Chile was launched on April 1. Chile is the fifth largest trading partner of India in the LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) region with bilateral trade in goods at USD 3.59 billion d