India, EU hope to operationalise free trade agreement by 2026-end, says Piyush Goyal

India, EU hope to operationalise free trade agreement by 2026-end, says Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on January 27 said that India and the European Union are aiming to operationalise their long-awaited free trade agreement by the end of 2026, once all ratification procedures are completed.

“It (the FTA) will be taken up for legal scrubbing on a fast-track basis. This was discussed today. The FTA will be translated into 24 languages simultaneously. We do hope that we see the entry into force of this agreement within calendar 2026,” Goyal said during a briefing.

India and the EU announced the conclusion of talks for the FTA on January 27. With talks now wrapped up, the negotiated draft texts are expected to be published shortly.

On the European Union’s side, the draft texts will undergo legal review and be translated into all official EU languages.

The European Commission will then submit its proposal to the Council for the signature and conclusion of the agreement. Once adopted by the Council, the EU and India can formally sign the pact.

Following the signing, the agreement will require the consent of the European Parliament and a final decision by the Council for it to enter into force. The agreement will also need to be ratified by India before it can be implemented.

India and the EU first launched negotiations for a free trade agreement in 2007.

Talks were suspended in 2013 amid differences on key issues, before being formally relaunched in 2022. The 14th and final formal negotiating round was held in October 2025, followed by intersessional discussions at both technical and political levels.