India and the European Union (EU) are set to take forward their negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with another round of talks in Brussels in the last week of October.
The Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, is slated to visit Europe later this month to participate in the Berlin Global Dialogue, which will be held from October 23 to October 25, officials said.
He will then proceed to Brussels, where he is scheduled to meet EU’s Trade Commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, and hold the next round of talks.
Goyal’s visit follows the conclusion of the 14th round of talks between the two sides, which were held from October 6 to October 10, after engagements between India and the EU increased to push for finalising a trade pact before the end of the year.
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Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has also held talks with the European Commission (EC) Director General for Trade (DG-Trade), Sabine Weyand, in Brussels.
Post his visit to Europe, Goyal will visit New Zealand, which is in talks with India for an FTA, having already held three rounds of talks between them.
In June 2022, India and the EU bloc had resumed negotiations for a comprehensive FTA, an investment protection agreement, and a pact on geographical indications after a gap of over eight years. The talks hit a roadblock in 2013 due to differences on the level of opening up markets, especially with regards the agriculture sector, which India wants to protect.
India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU was USD 136.53 billion in 2024-25 (exports worth USD 75.85 billion and imports worth USD 60.68 billion), making it the largest trading partner for goods.
The EU market accounts for about 17 per cent of India’s total exports, and the bloc’s exports to India constitute 9 per cent of its total overseas shipments.
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