Officials may visit Brussels for trade talks this week

An Indian official team from the Commerce Ministry is expected to visit Brussels this week for the next round of negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), a source said on Tuesday.

The visit comes in the backdrop of recently concluded eleven round of talks between the chief negotiators of both the sides on May 16 here in New Delhi. The sources said that the official team was likely to leave for Brussels on Wednesday.

The two sides have agreed to conclude the agreement in two phases on account of the uncertain global trade environment, particularly due to the US tariff actions under President Donald Trump.

India has followed the practice of negotiating trade pacts in two phases with Australia and is following a similar approach with the US.

Besides demanding significant duty cuts in automobiles and medical devices, the EU wants tax reduction in products like wines, spirits, meat, poultry and a strong intellectual property regime. Indian goods exports to the EU, such as ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, steel, petroleum products, and electrical machinery, can become more competitive if the pact is concluded successfully.