India-EU FTA differences narrowed, more meetings lined up: Commerce Secretary

"We have done nearly 14 rounds of negotiations till now. Their team was here for entire week in December and both the sides had deep engagement on multiple issues. We are narrowing down the differences," he said.

"When you reach closer, there are set of differences. So, now we are narrowing them down. Both the sides are virtually engaged on multiple issue," he told.

"There will be both physical and virtual meetings to take this to completion. We are moving in that road, and working tirelessly to see results," he said.

Commerce Secretary also talked on the US BTA and the recent visit of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) team.

"The recent visit of USTR was important as it helped to take stock on our trade relationship, and also the stage at which we are in terms of the negotiations," he said.

"We are very close on the framework, which is likely to be done in a short period of time," he said.

"I won't put a time period until the negotiations are closed," he added.

While announcing the trade deficit data, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal highlighted the recent trade agreements that India has signed, as well as the meetings conducted with the key economies globally.

"As part of bilateral engagements, the 7th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) was held in New Delhi on November 13, 2025," he told.

The dialogue took place during the official visit of Canada's Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, who visited India from November 11 to 14, 2025 at the invitation of the High Commission of India in Canada (HICIM).

"Progress has also been reported on India-European Union (EU) FTA negotiations, with the 16th round held in New Delhi from December 3 to 9, 2025."

The EU negotiating team visited India during this period, and a series of high-level meetings were conducted to review progress.

A Commerce Secretary-Director-General (Trade) stocktake meeting was held on December 7, 2025, aimed at assessing advancements and addressing outstanding issues. This was followed by an India-EU Trade Ministers' meeting on December 8-9, 2025, which provided strategic guidance to the negotiating teams.

"Both sides acknowledged the constructive engagement, agreed to intensify technical work, and reaffirmed their commitment to bridging remaining gaps to conclude a balanced and mutually beneficial FTA at the earliest," the Commerce Secretary said.

In Europe-focused engagements, the 19th India-Romania Joint Economic Commission (JEC) was convened in Bucharest on November 5, 2025, while the 10th India-Slovenia Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (JCTEC) was held in New Delhi on November 25, 2025.

On the Asia-Pacific front, negotiations on the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) are ongoing. Since the first round held in February 2023, 11 rounds of negotiations have been completed. The next round is scheduled for January 2026, he told.

India's FTA discussions with Latin American partners are also progressing. Under the India-Peru FTA, nine rounds of negotiations have been held since talks were launched in 2017, with the most recent round conducted from November 3 to 5, 2025.

Meanwhile, India-Chile Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations, launched on April 1, 2025, have completed four rounds, the latest held from December 1 to 5, 2025.

Negotiations for an India-New Zealand FTA, launched in May 2025, have seen four rounds completed so far, with the latest round held from November 3 to 7, 2025.

The Commerce Secretary further said India has also initiated FTA negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The first round of talks was held from November 26 to 28, 2025, and the next round is proposed for February 2026. (ANI)