New Delhi: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is leaving for a two-day official visit to Brussels this week, signalling a decisive push toward concluding the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.
The visit, slated for January 8-9, underscores the intensifying diplomatic and technical engagements between New Delhi and Brussels, the statement said.
India is pushing for zero-duty access for its labour-intensive sectors — such as textiles, leather, apparel, gems and jewellery, and handicrafts.
Goyal will hold high-level dialogues with the European Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic. The primary objective of these interactions is to provide strategic guidance to the negotiating teams, resolve pending issues, and expedite the conclusion of a balanced and ambitious agreement.
The leaders are expected to carry out detailed deliberations across key areas of the proposed agreement, aiming to narrow divergences and ensure clarity on outstanding matters. The Ministerial engagement follows a week of intensive deliberations in Brussels, building upon the groundwork laid during high-level discussions held earlier this week between India’s Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and the European Commission’s Director-General for Trade, Sabine Weyand.
The talks come at a historic juncture for India-EU economic relations. The negotiations were ambitiously re-launched in June 2022 after a hiatus of over nine years, reflecting a renewed mutual commitment to deepen economic integration. Since the resumption, the two sides have held 14 rounds of intense negotiations and several high-level dialogues at the ministerial level, with the latest interaction in December 2025.
Both India and the EU have expressed strong political resolve to deliver a comprehensive deal. The upcoming talks are expected to reaffirm the commitment of both sides to a rules-based trading framework and a modern economic partnership that safeguards the interests of farmers and MSMEs while integrating Indian industries into global supply chains, the statement added.
The European Union is currently India’s largest trading partner and a key investor, with bilateral trade in goods significantly bolstered in the 2024-25 financial year. This agreement is envisioned not just as a trade deal, but as a comprehensive partnership that addresses modern economic realities, the statement added.
(IANS)
