Overview
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said a rough outline of the India–EU free trade agreement has been prepared and talks are moving steadily.
- EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic reviewed progress with Goyal in Jaipur on December 8–9 and also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
- Technical discussions ran in New Delhi from December 3–9 across chapters including market access for goods, rules of origin, services, technical barriers to trade, and trade and sustainable development.
- Both sides reiterated strong political commitment to an early conclusion, with a self‑imposed goal to close the negotiations by the end of 2025.
- Sticking points remain over EU demands for deeper tariff cuts and stronger IP protections as India seeks better access for sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, steel and machinery, with the EU already a major goods partner at about USD 136.5 billion in 2024–25 trade.