Overview
- India’s commerce secretary said 20 of 24 chapters are closed and negotiators are working day to day to have a deal ready for the Jan. 26–27 leaders’ meetings.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told lawmakers the agreement would be concluded without agriculture, with sensitive items like dairy and sugar left out.
- European media report that von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa plan to travel to New Delhi on Jan. 27 to sign the pact, though the schedule has not been formally confirmed.
- Contentious issues still being ironed out include the EU carbon tax, market access for automobiles and medical devices, tariffs on wine and spirits and meat and poultry, and intellectual property rules.
- EU officials say an understanding has been reached to cut India’s steep tariffs on European wine and spirits, and the deal, if finalised, would be the EU’s largest and India’s 19th, with expected gains for sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, autos and services.