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India, EU negotiators start talks to resolve outstanding FTA issues
Nov-04-2025

The commerce ministry has said that negotiators of India and the EU commenced talks to resolve outstanding issues in the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), as the deadline to conclude the talks nears. Deliberations will focus on core areas, including trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin amongst others, along with technical and institutional matters. The engagements aim to resolve key outstanding issues and advance the agreement toward a balanced and equitable framework that benefits both sides.

A team of European Union (EU) negotiators is in India from November 3- November 7 for talks on the proposed FTA with their Indian counterparts. This visit follows Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal's official visit to Brussels (October 27, 2025-October 28, 2025), where he held forward-looking discussions with Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security. These consultations reaffirm the commitment of both sides to intensify engagement and facilitate a comprehensive trade agreement. As part of the visit, Sabine Weyand, Director-General for Trade at the European Commission (EU DG Trade), will be in New Delhi on November 5- November 6 for high-level talks with India's Commerce Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal on key technical and policy issues. 

Issues which needs resolutions include steel, auto and EU's carbon tax. India has also pitched for ensuring redressal of both tariff and non-tariff barriers in the pact, besides creating transparent and predictable regulatory frameworks to boost bilateral trade. The EU has announced regulations such as CBAM and EUDR (Deforestation Regulation) which have been strongly objected to by India. Under CBAM, Indian exports of steel, aluminium, and cement to the EU could face tariffs of 20-35 per cent. India has emphasised on the need for preferential treatment for India's key asks, particularly those with respect to labour-intensive sectors. Engagements between the two sides have increased as they have decided to conclude negotiations by December.


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