A senior team of negotiators from the European Union (EU) visited New Delhi from November 3rd to 7th for discussions with their Indian counterparts on the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The week-long talks were part of ongoing efforts to advance negotiations towards a comprehensive, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade agreement. India’s Commerce Ministry said that the deliberations covered a wide range of chapters, including goods, services, investment, trade and sustainable development, rules of origin, and technical barriers to trade.

As part of the negotiations, India’s Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal held detailed meetings with the European Commission’s Director General for Trade, Sabine Weyand, to take stock of the progress achieved across negotiating tracks. The two-day stocktaking meetings held on November 5th and 6th in New Delhi reviewed key outstanding issues for positive resolution, with both sides agreeing to further accelerate efforts towards a balanced trade agreement.

While the Commerce Secretary reaffirmed India’s commitment to achieving an outcome that advances economic growth and development while ensuring a fair and balanced distribution of benefits, he emphasised the need for clarity and predictability in the implementation of emerging EU regulatory measures, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the proposed new steel regulation.

A press statement by India’s Commerce Ministry read, “Both sides noted with satisfaction the substantive progress made across several negotiating areas and agreed to sustain the positive momentum. The two sides narrowed down divergences, and common understanding was arrived at on many issues. The importance of continued technical-level engagement in the coming weeks was underscored to bridge remaining gaps and to work towards the shared objective of concluding the India-EU FTA negotiations at the earliest.”

Earlier this week, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a virtual meeting with the EU’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefcović, and Agriculture & Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen. Goyal had also visited Brussels on October 27th and 28th to build on the momentum generated by the 14th round of negotiations, held from October 6th to 10th, with discussions covering key areas of the proposed FTA, including market access, non-tariff measures, and regulatory cooperation. Over 65% of the chapters have been finalised in the FTA negotiations.

While India is looking to export more labour-intensive goods to the EU with increased market access, the EU aims to export more automobiles and liquor to India. Earlier, government sources had indicated that the 27-member bloc’s recent nod to India’s fisheries exports will offset the loss of export avenues for the sector due to US tariffs, adding that the talks are proceeding well and are “on track to be concluded by year-end.”

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