Goyal to visit Brussels this week to provide ‘strategic guidance’ in India-European Union free trade deal| India News

Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal will visit Brussels this week to provide “strategic guidance” to negotiators finalising the contours of a mutually beneficial India-European Union free trade deal. He will join his EU counterpart Maroš Šefčovič as bilateral talks reach a “historic juncture” after 14 rounds of negotiations in the last 42 months.

The minister is scheduled to visit Brussels for a “significant” two-day official trip from January 8-9, a government statement said on Tuesday. “The visit underscores the intensifying diplomatic and technical engagements between New Delhi and Brussels, signalling a decisive push toward concluding the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA),” it said.

Prior to Goyal’s visit, an Indian team led by the chief negotiator is already holding talks with its EU counterpart. Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal is also in Brussels to resolve technical issues alongside senior EU officials. As reported by HT on December 24, Goyal’s visit aims to iron out differences so the FTA can be concluded during the India-EU Summit later this month.

The ministerial engagement follows a week of intensive deliberations in Brussels, building upon the groundwork laid during high-level discussions held earlier this week (January 6-7) between Agrawal and the European Commission’s director-general for trade, Sabine Weyand, the ministry statement said.

“The talks come at a historic juncture for India-EU economic relations,” it said. The negotiations were ambitiously relaunched in June 2022 after a hiatus of over nine years, reflecting a renewed mutual commitment to deepen economic integration. Since the resumption, the two sides have held 14 rounds of intense negotiations and several high-level dialogues at the ministerial level, with the latest interaction in December 2025.

The EU is India’s largest trading partner and a key investor, with bilateral trade in goods significantly bolstered in the 2024-25 fiscal year. This agreement is envisioned not just as a trade deal, but as a comprehensive partnership that addresses modern economic realities.

During the visit, Goyal will hold high-level dialogues with EU’s commissioner for trade and economic security Šefčovič. “The primary objective of these interactions is to provide strategic guidance to the negotiating teams, resolve pending issues, and expedite the conclusion of a balanced and ambitious agreement,” the statement said.

The leaders are expected to carry out detailed deliberations across key areas, aiming to narrow divergences and ensure clarity on outstanding matters.

“A central pillar of India’s negotiation strategy, guided by the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is to secure an agreement that translates into tangible benefits for the common man. India is pushing for zero-duty access for its labour-intensive sectors—such as textiles, leather, apparel, gems and jewellery, and handicrafts,” the statement said.

Both India and the EU have expressed strong political resolve to deliver a comprehensive deal. The upcoming talks are expected to reaffirm the commitment to a rules-based trading framework and a modern economic partnership that safeguards the interests of farmers and MSMEs while integrating Indian industries into global supply chains.

The urgency was evident when an EU negotiating team engaged with their Indian counterparts for a week from December 3 to 9. Amidst ongoing negotiations, Šefčovič visited India and met Goyal, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

The India-EU Summit is expected on January 27, coinciding with the visits of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa as chief guests at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26. Both sides aim to conclude the FTA negotiations before that.

India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU was $137.41 billion in 2023-24, making it the country’s largest trading partner for goods. Additionally, bilateral trade in services in 2023 was estimated at $51.45 billion.