"India-EU FTA Talks Likely To Conclude By December": Commerce Secretary

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has said India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations are in their final stages, with talks progressing well and a conclusion likely by December. 

He also highlighted that significant progress has been made in recent rounds, with remaining differences being addressed.

"Trade talks are progressing very well. Chances are it may be concluded by December. We are at last leg of negotiations. The toughest things are decided at the end. We are in close range of negotiations," he said on Wednesday.

Agrawal said there was good progress in the last round of talks and efforts will be made to narrow the differences.

"We have not scheduled the next round because we feel there are issues across areas which we need to resolve, and they need to be resolved on a continuous basis. Some officials of the Indian team have stayed back in Brussels to carry forward the negotiation on the rules of regions. That is one area a lot of work needs to be done," he said.

The 14th round of negotiations for India-EU FTA, held from October 6 to 10, 2025, in Brussels, covered 12 policy areas and 91 technical sessions. Discussions centred on market access for goods and services, Rules of Origin, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had said earlier this month that there have been "very good discussions" between EU and India in Brussels.

He expressed optimism about the partnership, describing it as a collaboration between the USD 20 trillion European Union of 27 countries and India, the fastest growing large economy in the world.

With the India-EU FTA progressing steadily and bilateral negotiations for other trade agreements underway, India's trade engagement with global partners is expected to see a boost in the coming months.