New Delhi, October 5, 2025: Senior negotiators from India and the European Union (EU) will begin the 14th round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks in Brussels on Monday. The week-long discussions, scheduled from October 6 to 10, aim to bridge the remaining gaps and expedite the signing of the long-awaited trade pact, officials confirmed.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has voiced optimism about the deal, saying it would mark a significant boost to bilateral trade and investment. Goyal is also set to meet EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic later this month in South Africa to review progress, as both sides have set December 2025 as the target for finalization.
Last month, Sefcovic and EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen visited New Delhi to review key negotiation points with Goyal. Talks between India and the EU had resumed in June 2022 after an eight-year gap, following a deadlock in 2013 over market access concerns.
The EU has been pressing for lower tariffs on automobiles, medical equipment, wine, spirits, meat, and poultry, along with stronger intellectual property safeguards. India, on the other hand, is pushing for improved access for its textiles, pharmaceuticals, steel, petroleum products, and electrical machinery, sectors that could benefit significantly from tariff relaxations under the agreement.
The proposed FTA encompasses 23 crucial domains, including trade in goods and services, investment protection, geographical indications, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, technical barriers, customs procedures, rules of origin, intellectual property rights, and sustainable development.
In FY 2024–25, India–EU trade in goods reached USD 136.53 billion, with India’s exports at USD 75.85 billion and imports at USD 60.68 billion. The EU remains India’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly 17% of its total exports. Conversely, India represents about 9% of the EU’s global trade. Trade in services between the two partners was valued at USD 51.45 billion in 2023.
