Goyal heads to Brussels to accelerate India-EU FTA negotiations

New Delhi: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to Brussels, Belgium, on October 27–28 to meet Maros Sefcovic, Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade, as India and the European Union seek to fast-track a long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The trip comes at a pivotal moment after the 14th round of negotiations earlier this month. Officials say the meeting is intended to provide political guidance and speed up consensus on outstanding issues, with both sides aiming to finalise terms by year-end.

Negotiations have intensified, with delegations remaining in Brussels after the recent round to work through difficult chapters. A central sticking point is the rules of origin: the EU is pressing for stricter verification to prevent third-country products entering the bloc via India, particularly in sensitive categories such as agriculture, wines and spirits, and goods protected by Geographical Indication (GI) tags.

Agriculture remains another major challenge. India is pushing for mutual recognition of agricultural standards to eliminate repeated testing and certification that currently slows shipments and raises compliance costs. Without such an agreement, Indian farm exports continue to face lengthy clearances inside the EU.

The talks span 23 policy areas, including market access, investment protection, government procurement and sustainable development, making this among India’s most wide-ranging trade negotiations in recent years.

In the last financial year, goods trade between India and the EU totaled about $136.5 billion, with Indian exports of $75.8 billion and imports of $60.7 billion, underscoring the bloc’s importance as a major trading partner.

Goyal’s visit is expected to assess progress to date, address remaining obstacles and help set a roadmap for a concluding agreement that could alter trade flows between India and Europe.

If agreed, the pact would represent a significant achievement in India’s trade diplomacy, bolstering its role in global supply chains and deepening economic ties with one of the world’s largest markets.