India-EU Trade Pact Talks Set for September

New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) India and the European Union (EU) will hold the next round of negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) in September here as both sides have exchanged offers related to the services sectors last week, an official said on Tuesday.

L Satya Srinivas, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, said the last (12th) round of talks concluded last week in Brussels.

"We have exchanged our offers on services and non-services... there were discussions on that. We also discussed key interests in market access related to goods as well... The next round of talks (will be held) in the first week of September," Srinivas told reporters here.

In June 2022, India and the 27-nation EU bloc resumed negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement, an investment protection agreement and a pact on geographical indications (GIs) after a gap of over eight years.

It stalled in 2013 due to differences on the level of opening up of the markets.

On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the European Commission President agreed to seal a much-awaited free trade deal by the end of this year.

Besides demanding significant duty cuts in automobiles and medical devices, the EU wants tax reduction in products like wine, spirits, meat, poultry, and a strong intellectual property regime.

Indian goods' exports to the EU, such as ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, steel, petroleum products, and electrical machinery, can become more competitive if the pact gets concluded successfully.

The India-EU trade pact negotiations cover 23 policy areas or chapters, including Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Investment, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Trade Remedies, Rules of Origin, Customs and Trade Facilitation, Competition, Trade Defence, Government Procurement, Dispute Settlement, Intellectual Property Rights, Geographical Indications, and Sustainable Development.

India's bilateral trade in goods with the EU was USD 137.41 billion in 2023-24 (exports worth USD 75.92 billion and imports worth USD 61.48 billion), making it the largest trading partner for goods.

The EU market accounts for about 17 per cent of India's total exports, while the EU's exports to India make up 9 per cent of its total overseas shipments.

In addition, the bilateral trade in services, in 2023, between India and the EU was estimated at USD 51.45 billion.