Indian officials and EU officials remained convinced that by the end of the year a trade agreement could be concluded between the two parties, because the 14th round of negotiations (10th October 2025) was concluded in Brussels.
“I can’t imagine a scenario in which we are not close or we did not finish FTA at the end of the year,” said an EU official on Thursday (October 9, 2025), who did not want to be named, Hindu (October 9, 2025) said.
Rajesh Agrawal, who has so far conducted negotiations with the US and took over as Minister of Commerce 1. October, was in Brussels this week and on Friday (October 10, 2025) the evening left the city. Hind understands that with the appointment of Mr. Agrawal as Minister of Trade Darpan Jain he will lead Indian negotiations with the US, while Mr. Agrawal has a very practical role in these interviews.
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The Indian negotiating team for the EU, led by L. Satya Srinivas, is scheduled to depart from the Belgian capital on Saturday (October 11, 2025). The next round of interviews is expected to take place in Nový Delhi in November, but the discussion will continue with Interregnum.
Bilateral goods trade in 2024 amounted to EUR 120 billion ($ 139 billion), but the problems remain and both sides complain about tariff and non -tariff barriers. Followed by areas included services, agricultural and dairy sectors, pharmaceutical, cars, wines and spirits. The parties decided to cancel the most sensitive areas from negotiations.
While officials are under the political mandate set by Prime Minister Narendra Modim and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen this year to conclude an agreement by the end of 2025, some of these difficult issues persist, including “trade and sustainable development”.
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India has long raised objections to the mechanism of modifying the boundaries of the EU carbon boundaries (CBAM). The tax that seeks price emissions published during the production of goods, including imports, should be in the effect of 1 January after a two -year transition.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has repeatedly stated that India will be a retaliation if its products are subject to a mechanism. At the end of September, Mr. Goyal warned in a speech in New York that CBAM “trap” could isolate Europe and cause inflation there. The government also protested against the association of climate measures with trade.
Problems concerning CBAM and sustainability were very much discussed on Friday (October 10, 2025) in the afternoon, the Hindu learned from another source with direct knowledge of negotiations.
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The EU would have to adjust its approach to trade and sustainable development, so the result is “what India can live with”, the chief negotiator Christophe Kiener told the European Parliament Commission on September 25 and said that the chapter on trade and sustainable development will still be needed. Mr. Kiener also said that although the sides in the 13th round in Nový Delhi have not made progress, they improved their understanding of themselves. Towards the end of such negotiations “things must be difficult,” Kiener said.
For the EU, problems with the difficulty of Indian quality control (QCOS) are among the difficulties of Indian quality control.
The Indian Ambassador in Brussels, Saurabh Kumar, is optimistic about business interviews.
“This is not a single point or one particular aspect that has a roofing weight. Business negotiations are not easy and there are problems, but both sides committed to it (FTA) and determined to complete it,” Kumar said on Friday (October 10, 2025). “
Mr. Goyal is expected in Brussels at the end of the month.
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IMEC ‘SHERPA’ Meeting Hero
Brussels was busy this week, with more than just a shop. This week was also held forum Global Gateway Forum (Strategy for Investments in other BLOC jurisdictions for investment in other jurisdictions), along with a meeting (ie “Sherpa”) meeting for the Indian Economic Corridor in the Middle East (IMEC). Practically, the NSA representative Pavan Kapoor, who represented India at a meeting.
With a ceasefire started between Israel and Gaza and the possibility of a smaller struggle in the future, Brussels will be announced in September 2023 on a project that was declared at the G20 summit in Nový Delhi. The position, if built, will provide transport, fiber and energy paths from India to Europe through Western Asia.
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“We are very excited about it and the Indians are very excited about it, as well as others. And we have these different investments that we support to support its feet. The key thing is to solve the Middle East,” EU official said, adding that Washington’s attention was still necessary for the problem.
“We also need OOMPH Americans,” they said.
When asked whether there was any specific limiting factor for the operation of the IMEC project, Mr. Kumar said that the countries involved in the project now identify their duties.
“There is no restrictive factor. The participating country is trying to organize how to move forward and who cares for this aspect,” he said.
Published – October 11, 2025 20:02
