New Delhi, September 9, 2025: India and the European Union (EU) have resumed high-stakes negotiations on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with the EU pressing for significant duty reductions on key sectors, including medical devices and automobiles.

According to officials, the 13th round of talks began on Monday, ahead of European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič’s scheduled visit to India on September 12. He is expected to meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to assess the progress, as both sides work towards the ambitious goal of concluding the deal by the end of this year.

The negotiations, which restarted in June 2022 after being stalled since 2013, aim to establish a comprehensive framework covering trade in goods and services, investment protection, geographical indications, and regulatory cooperation. The EU has also sought tax concessions on products such as wine, spirits, meat, and poultry, alongside a stronger intellectual property rights regime.

For India, a successful FTA could open new opportunities for its exporters in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, ready-made garments, petroleum products, steel, and electrical machinery, making them more competitive in the 27-nation bloc.

The scale of the partnership underscores its importance: in FY 2024–25, India-EU goods trade reached USD 136.53 billion (exports worth USD 75.85 billion and imports worth USD 60.68 billion), cementing the EU as India’s largest trading partner for goods. Additionally, bilateral trade in services stood at USD 51.45 billion in 2023.

With the EU accounting for nearly 17% of India’s total exports, the stakes are particularly high for sectors like medical technology and devices, where India has been pushing to strengthen its manufacturing ecosystem under the “Make in India” initiative. A balance between market access and protecting domestic industry will be critical as negotiations move forward.