India–EU free trade talks enter 14th round in Brussels

The 14th round of negotiations for the India–European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will begin on Monday, with both sides aiming to resolve contentious issues and finalise the long-pending trade pact by the end of the year.

An Indian delegation led by Chief Negotiator Satya Srinivas will hold talks with officials from the EU bloc in Brussels from October 6 to 10. According to official sources, discussions will focus on addressing non-tariff barriers, customs duties on automobiles, and issues related to the dairy and agriculture sectors.

The FTA negotiations, revived in June 2022 after an eight-year pause, cover 23 policy areas including trade in goods and services, investment, technical barriers, rules of origin, customs, competition, intellectual property and sustainable development.

The Brussels talks follows up the discussions held in New Delhi in September. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had last month expressed strong optimism of concluding the trade pact by December this year.

Ahead of the 14th round of talks, EU Ambassador to India Hervé Delphin said that the EU is ready to conclude the long-pending FTA negotiations with India on a “meaningful and balanced package”.

Speaking at the second annual general meeting of the Federation of European Business in India (FEBI), Delphin said the two sides had made “considerable progress”, though “important issues still remain to be resolved”. He said both teams were working hard to achieve the goal set by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to finalise the agreement by the end of this year.

Delphin said the proposed FTA and Investment Protection Agreement could be a “game changer” in boosting trade, investment and supply-chain resilience. “The EU and India are complementary economies and natural partners. Our shared principles should guide us towards a fair and forward-looking outcome,” he said.

India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU was $136.53 billion in 2024-25 (exports worth $75.85 billion and imports worth $60.68 billion), making it the largest trading partner for goods.

The EU market accounts for about 17 per cent of India’s total exports, and the bloc’s exports to India constitute 9 per cent of its total overseas shipments.

In addition, the bilateral trade in services between India and the EU was estimated at USD 51.45 billion in 2023.