Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that 60-65% of chapters have already been finalised in the India-EU FTA negotiations, and by the time EU’s Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and its Agricultural commissioner come to India, there are hopes that the agreement will be concluded quite substantially.The Minister said that he had stepped into the meeting of Chief Negotiators today to converge on the paths of agreement on which both sides are working actively.The 13th round of negotiations between India and the European Union (EU) are underway in New Delhi for a potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Piyush Goyal may meet the EU’s Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič on 12th September, as both sides look to conclude negotiations by the year-end.
Earlier, sources had indicated that guidance will be taken from Ministers on both sides on remaining issues, which may need a political call. Both sides had exchanged offers related to their services sectors during the 12th round of negotiations, which concluded in Brussels, where they discussed key interest areas in the domain of market access for goods.In June 2025, government sources had told CNBC TV18 that extra sessions were being held in the India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the frequency of meetings having increased from quarterly to monthly.Earlier, CNBC-TV18 had reported that India and the EU were keeping options open for an early harvest deal, like the one India had signed with Australia. The early harvest deal will include issues like tariff and non-tariff barriers, Intellectual property rights, government procurement, technical barriers to trade, and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. India and the EU are pursuing a two-stage approach to finalise an FTA, apart from a bilateral investment protection agreement and recognition of geographical indications (GIs) with the 27-member bloc.Government sources pointed out that 5 more chapters of the total 23 chapters had been closed in the previous round. The negotiations span 23 policy areas, including trade in goods and services, investment protection, customs procedures, technical barriers, intellectual property rights, and sustainable development. Stating that even European businesses have objected to proposed regulations like the EUDR and CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) over concerns of business being impacted, sources said that India’s concerns on these regulations have also been communicated as part of negotiations.As per a government official, the EU has objected to Quality Control Orders (QCOs) by terming them non-tariff barriers (NTBs), to which India has responded by saying that QCOs equally apply to Indian businesses unlike EU’s internal concessions for its Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In return, India has offered that mutual recognition can be given by both the sides in areas like Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures. The government official added that good relations with the EU are reflected in the ongoing strategic dialogue, with the 27-member bloc displaying sensitivity to India’s flagged concerns.In June, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had met EU’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen, and Ministers from EU member countries France, Italy, and Sweden to provide a significant impetus to ongoing FTA negotiations.While the EU has sought amendments in India’s Patents Act to allow ‘evergreening’ of patents in pharmaceuticals, India has already refused to accept similar demands from the UK and Switzerland for data exclusivity to protect the generic pharma industry as part of FTAs with the UK and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).In FY 2023-24, EU-India bilateral goods trade stood at $137.41 billion, with Indian exports valued at $75.92 billion and imports valued at $61.48 billion, making EU India’s largest trading partner in goods. The EU accounts for nearly 17% of India’s total exports, while EU’s exports to India represent 9% of its total overseas sales.Also Read: PM Modi, leaders across parties congratulate India’s new Vice President CP Radhakrishnan
