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India and the European Union moved their projected Free Trade Agreement discussions guardant during Union commerce and manufacture curate Piyush Goyal’s two-day sojourn to Brussels, which ended connected January 9.Goyal was successful the Belgian superior connected January 8 and 9, wherever helium held aggregate high-level meetings with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic. The discussions focused connected moving the long-running India–EU FTA talks forward, with some leaders offering wide guidance to their negotiating teams to resoluteness outstanding matters and velocity up the process.The talks placed beardown accent connected balancing commercialized ambitions with home priorities.
Both sides underlined that the statement indispensable support farmers and micro, tiny and mean enterprises (MSMEs), portion besides helping Indian industries fortify their information successful planetary proviso chains.“In continuation of our efforts to unafraid a mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), I held high-level talks with the EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner, Mr. Maros Sefcovic, successful Brussels.
During this dialogue, we deliberated crossed cardinal areas of the projected agreement. We reaffirmed our committedness to a rules-based trading model and a modern economical concern that safeguards the interests of farmers and MSMEs portion integrating Indian industries into planetary proviso chains,” Goyal said successful a station connected X.According to the Ministry of Commerce, the ministerial talks covered respective captious aspects of the agreement.
Progress crossed negotiating tracks specified arsenic Market Access for Goods, Rules of Origin and Services was reviewed, with some sides acknowledging dependable question connected these fronts.The ministry said the discussions reflected beardown governmental volition successful some India and the EU to resoluteness remaining issues done constructive engagement. The 2 sides besides reiterated the request to finalise a fair, balanced and ambitious statement that aligns with shared values, economical priorities and a rules-based trading framework.The ministerial engagement was built connected earlier discussions held connected 6 and 7 January 2026 betwixt Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and European Commission Director-General for Trade Sabine Weyand. These meetings focused connected taking banal of advancement crossed negotiating areas, with officials moving to “narrow divergences” and bring clarity to unresolved issues up of the minister-level talks.Before arriving successful Brussels, Goyal visited Liechtenstein, wherever helium led a concern roundtable with elder executives from starring section companies.
The discussions centred connected the implementation of the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). The sojourn marked the first-ever travel by an Indian Cabinet Minister to Liechtenstein and underscored the strengthening economical narration pursuing the operationalisation of the commercialized pact.During the interactions, Goyal said the India–EFTA TEPA extends beyond commercialized liberalisation, offering a broader model for investment, exertion collaboration, accomplishment improvement and the instauration of resilient worth chains.
He encouraged Liechtenstein companies to research opportunities successful India, peculiarly successful the discourse of the $100 cardinal concern committedness made by EFTA countries.As portion of the visit, the curate toured the office of the Hilti Group and met its main executive, Jahangir Doongaji. Talks focused connected expanding localisation efforts, expanding worth summation and scaling up planetary shipments from India.
With Hilti operating successful India’s operation assemblage for implicit 25 years, discussions besides covered exertion collaboration aimed astatine supporting safer and smarter infrastructure successful enactment with India’s manufacturing and export objectives.Goyal besides met Liechtenstein Prime Minister Brigitte Haas to sermon ways to deepen economical and concern practice nether the India–EFTA TEPA. The leaders explored collaboration successful accomplishment development, vocational grooming and industry-academia partnerships, bringing unneurotic India’s young workforce and Liechtenstein’s precocious concern expertise.
