India-EU FTA talks make ‘substantive progress’; next round set for early January: Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday, December 11, said negotiations on the proposed India–EU Free Trade Agreement have gained momentum, with both sides making “substantive progress” in recent discussions.

Goyal said that negotiating teams held detailed engagements following the visit of EU Executive Vice-President Maros Sefcovic to India last week, and will meet again in the first or second week of January to carry talks forward.

Negotiations for a FTA between India and the European Union (EU) will continue next year, with both the sides slated to hold in-person talks again in the 1st or the 2nd week of January 2026.

Speaking at the India-Italy Business Forum in Mumbai on the negotiations, Goyal said that though some issues remain to go over the line but he is confident with the political will on both the sides. Hoping to soon see wines and automobiles from the EU in the Indian market and Indian leather goods, auto components, textiles and whiskies in the EU market, he said that no stone is being left unturned for a fair, equitable, and balanced India-EU FTA.

Calling for protection of sensitivities on both the sides, he said that negotiations should always be with a sense of urgency but never in haste, adding that there many areas of discussion but not an issue of divergence.

Stating that work is underway to close the gaps for a win-win solution for India and the EU, he highlighted any agreement will have to be 100% win-win for both the sides to ensure a good future for trade and investment.

Goyal had held discussions with European Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič in New Delhi on 8th and 9th December with an aim to provide strategic guidance to their negotiating teams.

The visit took place against the backdrop of the technical discussions held from 3rd to 9th December in New Delhi across key chapters of the proposed FTA covering Market Access for Goods, Rules of Origin, Services, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade and Sustainable Development etc.

The visit of the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security was preceded by high-level discussions between Commerce Secretary and Director-General Trade of the European Commission in New Delhi on December 7, emphasising the shared commitment to intensify dialogue and collaboration, with a focus to advance the negotiations towards a
timely and mutually beneficial conclusion.

During their engagement, Goyal and Šefčovič carried out detailed deliberations across key areas of the proposed agreement, took note of the steady progress achieved across various negotiating tracks and agreed on the need to sustain the current momentum
through continued exchanges.

Calling for a India-Italy taskforce on Waste-to-energy to capitalise on India's huge potential, Goyal batted for a framework through the global climate initiative to economise waste-to-energy. He highlighted plans to work with speed on the IMEC corridor as well as engage more with countries which are a part of it, adding that customs facilitation, like between India and the UAE, can be a starting point between India and Italy for smoother flow of goods.

While the Indian Minister called for Mutual Recognition Agreements to save businesses from cumbersome procedures, a start-up bridge between India and Italy and collaboration on Automobiles, renewable energy, textiles, agri-food and the agri-tech sector; Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani indicated that Italian banks can increase their presence in India.