India-EU FTA

India and the European Union have discussed implementation issues of the free trade agreement (FTA), which is scheduled for signing in December, an official statement said on Monday. The issues were discussed during the visit of Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal to Brussels last week. Agrawal met with Ditte Juul Jorgensen from the Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security; Koen Doens from the Directorate-General for International Partnerships; and Gerassimos Thomas from the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission. The meetings, according to the commerce ministry, focused on customs cooperation, trade facilitation, and preparations for the implementation of the India-EU FTA. "Both sides recognised the importance of efficient, transparent, and digitally enabled customs procedures in supporting businesses, reducing transaction costs, and ensuring the smooth movement of legitimate trade," it said. The two sides announced on January 27 the ...

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Indian companies need to adopt a more strategic approach to the European market to fully benefit from the free trade agreement, as tariff concessions alone will not lead to higher exports, industry chamber FICCI said on Thursday. FICCI Secretary General Anant Swarup said the real challenge would be to convert improved market access into sustained market penetration. He said that although the agreement, concluded in January, presents an unprecedented opportunity for Indian MSMEs to expand their presence in the European market, tariff concessions alone will not translate into higher exports. "Indian companies will need to adopt a more strategic approach to the European market. This includes identifying products where tariff advantages are significant, building relationships with European buyers, upgrading product quality, and integrating into European supply chains," he told PTI. Swarup is accompanying Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who is on a two-day visit here to boo

Piyush Goyal says calibrated tariff concessions on car imports under India's trade pacts with the EU and UK will help global automakers assess demand and encourage local manufacturing

Officials and trade experts said lower tariffs alone would not lift exports unless Indian MSMEs can meet EU requirements on ESG, CBAM, certification and supply-chain standards

India has received country-specific tariff-rate quota of 1.9 million tonne (MT) annually for steel exports to the European Union, while the government expects exporters to secure another 0.9 MT through residual quotas, taking the total to 2.8 MT, a commerce ministry official said on Thursday. With this, India has secured over 80 per cent of its exports to the European Union (EU). Last fiscal, India exported about 3 MT of steel goods. The Tariff-Rate Quota (TRQs) follow the European Union's Steel Overcapacity Regulation, which came into force on July 1 this year. It is aimed at ensuring protection for the EU's steel industry against the effects of global overcapacity. It sets free-of-duty quotas at 18.3 MT, with a 50 per cent duty for out-of-quota imports and a melt-and-pour regime to enhance transparency. As the regulation is in place from July 1, Indian exporters have already started availing the quota and shipping steel to the 27-nation bloc, the official said, adding that "free .

The agreement provides India with an additional preferential quota of 694,853 tons of steel, on top of an existing 946,616 ton WTO quota

Luxury car makers Merc, BMW say localisation would not be hit by FTA

European carmakers get a first-year quota of 100,000 ICE and hybrid cars, while Indian-origin vehicles priced up to 50,000 euros get access to a 250,000-unit EU quota

"If authorized by the Council, this will be the largest trade agreement ever concluded by both the EU and India," the European Commission said in a statement

Bart De Wever's three-day visit will explore deeper trade and investment ties, defence and maritime cooperation, and opportunities from the India-EU free trade agreement

Finnish companies are looking to expand their India presence from next year, though local manufacturing requirements could pose challenges for some high-end products

Without credible investment protection, the FTA alone is unlikely to attract the manufacturing FDI India needs to create jobs

India and the European Union (EU) have agreed to ink the free trade agreement by the end of this year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. Addressing the India-Finland Business Round Table in Helsinki, he said the pact will come into force in the first quarter of 2027. "The 27-nation EU-India free trade agreement ...in the course of my meetings in Brussels yesterday, we have agreed to sign before the end of calendar 2026, the final legal document and bring into effect in the first quarter of 2027, sometime in February-March next year," he said. He added that the deal will open a plethora of opportunities for businesses on both sides. On January 27 this year, India and the European Union (EU) announced the conclusion of negotiations for the 'mother of all deals'. Under the pact, 93 per cent of Indian shipments will enjoy duty-free access to the 27-nation bloc, while the import of luxury cars and wines from the EU will become less expensive. The deal, conc

The new India-EU Textile and Apparel Dialogue aims to help industry stakeholders support effective implementation of the proposed free trade agreement and strengthen bilateral trade

The India-EU free trade agreement is likely to take effect in the April-June quarter of 2027 after ratification, according to the European Commission's chief negotiator

Piyush Goyal says the Trade and Technology Council dialogue will complement the recently concluded India-EU free trade agreement, while India aims to conclude the Canada FTA within six months

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