Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. File photo: @PiyushGoyal X/ANI Photo
The negotiations between India and the European Union on a free trade agreement have crossed the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 chapters of the agreement having been finalised, and several other chapters nearing completion, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday (October 29, 2025).
The Minister has returned from a three-nation tour over the last week or so, having visited Geneva for the 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Berlin for the Berlin Global Dialogues, and Brussels to “further our negotiations with the European Union” for an FTA, Mr. Goyal said at a press briefing.
“We have made significant progress in the three-day discussion between European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic and his team and our team on several areas,” Mr. Goyal said.
Chapters closed
“We have agreed to close 10 out of 20 chapters,” he added. “Another four to five chapters have in principle been broadly decided.”
He further said that, on an increasing number of issues, the two teams are moving towards convergence. The team from the EU is set to visit New Delhi next week for the next round of negotiations, and Mr. Sefcovic will visit the capital at the end of November or in December, the Minister said.
On the question of whether negotiations on the FTA with the EU would be completed by the end of the calendar year, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in February, Mr. Goyal said that the priority was a “good deal” rather than meeting deadlines.
“We have received guidance from our leaders, but the guidance does not mean we conclude just any deal,” he said. “It has to be a good deal.”
In a press release issued earlier in the day, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had said that issues related to steel, auto, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and other EU regulations still require further discussion “as these issues have higher sensitivities”.
On CBAM, Mr. Goyal said the issue had been discussed in “great detail” during the last week and that the Indian team had put forth the country’s position very firmly. He said that the talks on the matter were “moving in the right direction”.
‘Voice of the Global South’
The Minister revealed that he would speak through videoconferencing on Wednesday (October 29) night with the New Zealand Trade Minister and that the Indian negotiation team would be visiting the country next Tuesday “to try and substantially conclude negotiations for a FTA”.
“At the UNCTAD, India once again demonstrated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we speak for the Global South,” Mr. Goyal said. “We represent the voice of the less privileged, less developed or developing economies and stand for collective action for global good, peace and prosperity.”
Mr. Goyal said that, during the Berlin Global Dialogues, he held meetings with his German counterparts, other Ministers of the German government, and several European businesses.
“These have shown that more and more countries and almost all businesses today want to expand relations with a resurgent, strong, decisive, democratic and aspirational India,” he asserted.
Published – October 29, 2025 08:44 pm IST
