India, EU FTA enters final stage of talks; conclusion expected by 2025-end, says commerce secretary

Maroš Šefčovič, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal

The proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union is presently in the last leg of negotiations and “chances are talks may close by December,” Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said on October 15.

“The talks are progressing well…and we are hopeful it will be concluded soon. In the last leg the toughest things are decided as they are kept for at the end. We saw real progress in the last round that took place and we are hopeful that are teams will iron out remaining differences and talks will conclude soon,” Agarwal said.

The 14th round of talks for the FTA took place in Brussels between October 6-10 with discussions covering 12 policy chapters across 91 technical sessions, with a focus on areas such as market access for goods, services and rules of origin.

Agarwal added that virtual engagement is ongoing between India and EU while in-person interactions are expected in November.

“Some officials of the Indian team stayed back in Brussels to further talks and make progress on rules of origin. So, we haven't scheduled another formal round of talks since engagement is ongoing,” he added.

During the 13th round of talks held in New Delhi little progress was seen in sensitive sectors such as automotives and agricultural products, though both sides cited better clarity on their market access demands for industrial and farm goods.

The two sides are focused on ironing out outstanding issues, particularly those related to market access, regulatory cooperation and agricultural sensitivities, the commerce ministry said on October 15.

In February 2025, India and the EU decided to ramp up talks for the proposed free trade agreement, targeting to close it by the end of 2025 to tide over ongoing disruptions from volatile trade policies.

India is currently negotiating a slew of FTAs with several countries, including United States, Oman, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Qatar.

While the next round of talks for the FTA with New Zealand is likely to be held in November, negotiations for the deal with Oman have concluded, the ministry informed.