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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday met a delegation led by the European Union's Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, and the two leaders discussed cooperation on trade and investment.
Maros Sefcovic also met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. During their meeting, Maros Sefcovic and Sitharaman reaffirmed shared commitment towards strengthening bilateral ties for mutual benefit of their people and countries. "Smt @nsitharaman met the @EU_Commission delegation led by its Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Mr @MarosSefcovic in New Delhi today. The two leaders discussed various issues for economic cooperation on trade and investment between India and the European Union and reaffirmed their shared commitment towards strengthening bilateral ties for mutual benefit of their people and countries," the Finance Ministry said in a post on X. The European Union's Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security is on a two-day visit to India. The discussions with the Union Commerce Minister were aimed at providing strategic guidance to the FTA negotiating teams as both sides work towards concluding the agreement at the earliest. The visit takes place against the backdrop of the technical discussions held from December 3-9, 2025, in New Delhi across key chapters of India-EU FTA covering Market Access for Goods, Rules of Origin, Services, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade and Sustainable Development etc. The visit of the European Union's Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security was preceded by high-level discussions between the Commerce Secretary and the Director-General Trade, European Commission in New Delhi on December 7, 2025, emphasising the shared commitment to intensify dialogue and collaboration, with a focused determination to advance the negotiations towards a timely and mutually beneficial conclusion. During their engagement, Piyush Goyal and the EU Trade Commissioner Sefcovic carried out detailed deliberations across key areas of the proposed agreement. Both sides took note of the steady progress achieved across various negotiating tracks and agreed on the need to sustain the current momentum through continued exchanges. Both sides emphasized the strategic importance of concluding a fair, balanced, and ambitious agreement that aligns with their shared values, economic priorities, and commitment to a rules-based trading framework. The Ministerial-level discussions reaffirmed the strong political resolve on either side to address pending issues through constructive engagement and to work towards a comprehensive, mutually advantageous outcome. A Commerce and Industry Ministry release said that Sefcovic's visit to New Delhi represented a significant milestone in the ongoing India-EU trade dialogue, further underscoring India's position as a reliable partner for the European Union in advancing diversified, resilient, and future-oriented economic cooperation. Anchored in shared principles of prosperity, sustainability, and innovation, the visit concluded with both parties expressing confidence and renewed determination to intensify efforts to reach an early conclusion of a modern, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial agreement, the release said. (ANI)
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