Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Friday (4 September) made a thinly veiled reference to US President Donald Trump’s trade measures, criticising nations that raise trade barriers without reason, while holding up the India-EU Free Trade Agreement as a shield against economic disruption and coercion.

Addressing the India-Belgium high-level dialogue on the FTA in Mumbai, De Wever said, “More and more voices today are calling for barriers to go up, for markets to be shut off, for tariffs to be imposed. Some do this entirely arbitrarily. They decide something on Monday, they revoke it on Wednesday.”

Speaking before business representatives from both countries, he added, “I am not going to say the name, but you know these people who do it arbitrarily, without any economic logic at all.”

The Belgian leader argued that such measures “deliberately and structurally distort markets” and hurt trading partners by pushing them into dependence. “These strategies of protectionism and unfair competition put our world economy and our geopolitical stability under strain,” he said.

De Wever also said a delegation drawn from Belgium’s port, terminal, logistics, chemical and energy industries would travel to India in February 2027 to explore business prospects.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal called the India-EU FTA a “win-win agreement” that would create room for farmers, start-ups and women entrepreneurs while safeguarding sensitive sectors on either side.

“India and Belgium have a choice to be swept by the chaos or build trust and cooperation. We chose to build, connect and work together. Belgian and Indian economies complement each other,” Goyal said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis positioned his state as the natural landing ground for Belgian capital. “If Belgium companies are looking at India for investment after the FTA, come to Maharashtra,” he said, adding, “Come to Maharashtra and from here serve India and the world. Maharashtra is volunteering to convert strategic direction into action.”

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