With India and the EU setting the year-end deadline to conclude a free trade agreement, teams from both sides held discussions on Saturday to accelerate efforts towards a balanced and mutually beneficial pact. The meeting was held between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in Mumbai along with officials from both sides. "Our discussions focused on accelerating efforts towards a balanced and mutually beneficial free trade agreement. Looking forward to deepening economic ties and fostering a prosperous India-EU partnership," Goyal said in a post on X. On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to seal a much-awaited free trade deal by this year amid rising concerns over US President Donald Trump's policy on tariffs. The two sides are scheduled to hold the tenth round of negotiations for the FTA from March 10-14 in Brussels. Further strengthening
A free trade agreement between the EU and India would be the largest deal of its kind anywhere in the world and both sides are looking at firming it up by this year, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. In an address at a think-tank, the top leader of the 27-nation bloc also said that the EU is exploring a future security and defence pact with India in line with its partnerships with Japan and South Korea. Von der Leyen's comments came ahead of her wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This world is fraught with danger. But I believe this modern version of great power competition is an opportunity for Europe and India to reimagine their partnership," she said. "In many ways, the EU and India are uniquely placed to respond to this challenge together," she added. Von der Leyen said it is time to take the EU-India strategic partnership to next level. "This is not a time to place limits on our cooperation. Or to get stuck looking for ...
Talks for an India-EU free trade agreement, stalled for eight years, resumed in 2021, now cover investment protection and geographical indications.
India is setting up a dedicated platform - EFTA (European Free Trade Association ) desk - to promote trade, investment, and business facilitation between the two regions, an official statement said on Monday. India and the four European nations EFTA bloc signed a free trade agreement on March 10 last year to boost trade and investment ties. The pact, officially dubbed as Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), is expected to come into force by the end of this year. The EFTA members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The setting up of the desk is important as 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. This is a first-of-its-kind pledge agreed upon in any of the trade deals signed by India so far. It will be inaugurated by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal along
The government's policy decision aims to avoid hurting the local industry by imposing higher import duty on key raw materials or intermediate goods from the trade bloc
A 2024 survey of German companies in India flagged bureaucratic hurdles, high corruption, and the tax system as the three biggest obstacles to doing business in India
The minister further elaborated on the plethora of opportunities in the various sectors across India
The proposed free trade agreement with the UK and the European Union will be a game changer for the domestic industry and will offer a huge advantage for apparel exporters, AEPC said on Saturday. Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Chairman Naren Goenka said that trade pacts with the UAE, Australia and Japan are providing market access for the sector. "The FTA with the UK will be a game changer for the industry, and the EU will offer a big advantage if we sign an FTA deal," he said. The negotiations for the trade agreement with the UK are in the last stage and talks with the EU are moving at a faster pace. He also said that one of the major issues regarding the poor export competitiveness of Indian apparel is poor economies of scale. The apparel industry comprises 80 per cent of exporters with around Rs 10 crore turnover and the average number of machines in Indian apparel manufacturing units is 250-400, whereas competing countries have an average of 800- 1000 machines. "Also
India for conservative norms, but EU wants more liberal criteria
India and Italy have discussed progress of talks on the proposed free trade agreement between New Delhi and the European Union (EU) and hope for its early conclusion, the commerce ministry said on Thursday. In January last year, India and the EU resumed negotiations for a free trade agreement, investment protection and Geographical Indications (GI). Italy is a member of the EU. The issue came up for discussion in the meeting of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Foreign Office Antonio Tajani here on April 12. "The ministers underlined the importance of achieving a free, balanced and fair free trade agreement and hoped that it would be concluded soon," it said. They also agreed to the convening of the next session of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) in Rome in the last week of September. Tajani suggested the formation of a Joint Working Group in the strateg
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while speaking at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) on Free Trade Agreements in Washington said that FTAs are being signed much faster
Free trade agreement with EU remains a long haul
Germany has shared its concerns over OBOR for its China-trade centric features