India-EU FTA negotiations nearing conclusion: EU Trade Commissioner
Union Minister Piyush Goyal (right) greets European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic during talks on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, in New Delhi
| Photo Credit:
PTI
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic expressed confidence that India and the EU are close to clinching a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) following his meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal ahead of Tuesday’s bilateral summit.
“I’m confident to say we’re nearing the conclusion of our FTA negotiations. The cumulation of an intense past year — likely my most frequent trade engagement — reflecting its importance,” Sefcovic posted on social media platform X following his meeting with Goyal on Sunday.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are in New Delhi to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s Republic Day celebrations on Monday, followed by the India-EU Summit on Tuesday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the two EU leaders on Sunday. “Confident that their upcoming discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will herald a new chapter in India – European Union relations,” Jaishankar posted on `X’ after the meeting.
Goyal echoed Sefcovic’s optimism regarding the conclusion of the FTA talks, which first began nearly two decades ago.
“Pleased to agree that sustained & constructive engagement between us & our teams over the past year has brought us closer to a fruitful outcome,” Goyal said in reply to Sefcovic’s post.
The EU remains a vital economic & strategic partner for India, and we value our shared commitment to a mutually beneficial, ambitious India-EU FTA for the prosperity of our businesses and people, Goyal said.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the EU President had said that India and the EU were on the cusp of a historic trade agreement and referred to it as the ‘mother of all deals’.
The India-EU FTA is expected to result in zero-duty access for most labour-intensive exports from India, such as textiles, leather, and footwear, levelling the playing field against regional competitors such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. The EU is looking for deep tariff cuts on wines and spirits and a strategic “quota-based” system for automobiles with lower duties for European premium vehicles.
With US President Donald Trump ramping up tariff pressures, both India and the EU are keen for an early FTA. In 2024–25, the EU was India’s top goods trading partner, with bilateral trade at $136.53 billion. India had a trade surplus, exporting $75.85 billion worth of goods while importing $60.68 billion.
The sustainability chapter has been one of the most sensitive items of the deal, including the rollout of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and its impact on Indian exporters facing carbon taxes, according to officials from both sides.
Published on January 25, 2026
