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  1. Negotiations

EU-India


The European Union and India launched negotiations on a bilateral free trade and investment agreement in June 2007. However, between the governments, a number of controversies have been plaguing the talks. Delhi wants Brussels to relax its stringent food safety criteria which penalise Indian farm and fishery exports and to make it easier for Indian professionals to work in the EU. Europe is primarily out to win major openings of India’s services sector and broad liberalisation of foreign investment, while India does not want to discuss allowing European firms to compete in India’s government procurement market.

Indian social movements, including fisherfolk and labour unions, people living with HIV/AIDS and other health activists have been mobilizing against the FTA. International actions and campaigns have particularly targeted the proposed intellectual property provisions of the agreement, and the impact of the FTA on access to medicines.

last update: May 2012
Photo: MSF

Strong political push to seal FTA with India by 2025 end: EU ambassador
4-Dec-2025     Business Standard
India and the European Union (EU) to finalize the revamped India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of 2025. Of the 23 chapters under negotiation, 11 have been completed, with key discussions ongoing in areas such as market access for cars, steel, services, investment, and technical trade barriers.
India-Sweden bilateral trade can double in 5 years if India-EU FTA, India's green transition plans materialise
2-Dec-2025     Fortune India
Twelve chapters have been concluded, and both sides are working intensively to close the remaining eight. The aim is to finalize the agreement by the end of 2025, with a formal signing expected at the India–EU Summit in January 2026.
India-EU push to close FTA talks by year-end as Brussels meetings set new strategic tone
26-Nov-2025     Business Today
India and the European Union have pushed their long-running free trade talks back to the centre of their partnership, reaffirming a shared goal to conclude negotiations on the FTA by the end of this year. The joint statement reaffirmed ambitions to finalize the FTA, accelerate negotiations on an Investment Protection Agreement, and conclude a Geographical Indications agreement.
India and EU resume FTA talks, Brussels team in Delhi
5-Nov-2025     Financial Express
India and the European Union (EU) on Monday resumed negotiations on their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with a team from Brussels arriving here. The talks will last till the end of the week and may aim to sort out the remaining differences so that the deal is ready by the end of this year.
India-EU FTA: Both sides eye final deal by 2025 end; agreement on steel, auto and other sectors remaining
29-Oct-2025     The Times of India
The talks were described as productive, with both sides reviewing unresolved areas within the negotiations and identifying what they termed “possible landing zones” on pending issues.
Goyal to visit Brussels as India, EU push to seal trade pact by year-end
27-Oct-2025     Live Mint
India and the EU have intensified efforts to finalize the long-awaited free-trade pact. A key sticking point is the EU’s demand for tighter origin norms to ensure third-country goods don’t enter the bloc through India.
EU Council clears final step for India-EU free trade deal to be signed by year-end
21-Oct-2025     MSN
The European Union Council has given final approval for a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the EU, paving the way for the deal to be signed by the end of 2025. The move reflects a growing strategic alignment amid global economic and geopolitical challenges.
India-EU FTA talks advance to political level, Piyush Goyal to visit Brussels later this month
20-Oct-2025     Financial Express
India and the European Union (EU) will now remain continuously engaged at the chief negotiators’ level as the deadline for a free trade agreement approaches, and a real breakthrough remains elusive. However, there will be no more formal rounds of negotiations, after the 14th concluded in Brussels recently.
EU and India move into final stages of trade talks with continuous contact
14-Oct-2025     Politico
India and the EU are intensifying their talks on a free-trade deal and will meet nonstop after making progress during a round of negotiations last week, the European Commission said.
India–EU FTA: 14th round of trade talks to resume in Brussels today
6-Oct-2025     Financial Express
India and the EU resume the 14th round of Free Trade Agreement talks in Brussels, aiming for a December 2025 conclusion.