President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had special praise for India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for playing a key role in the just-finalised India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
"India is privileged to host European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during our Republic Day celebrations. Their presence underscores the growing strength of the India-European Union partnership and our commitment to shared values,"
Maros Sefcovic, the European Union Trade Commissioner, said in an interview to Euro News that India and EU are very close towards having a signature as the finalise the much anticipated free trade agreement.
EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, as well as Inter-Institutional Relations and Transparency, Maros Sefcovic met Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Sunday after arriving in India.
He expressed gratitude following the meeting and spoke with certainty about
Discussions centred on the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with both sides underlining the importance of protecting the interests of farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while enabling Indian industries to integrate more deeply into global supply chains.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and European Union Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based trading system and a modern economic partnership during high-level talks in Brussels.
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.
Taking it to social media platform X, the EU Commissioner said, "In India for a two-day marathon of meetings with @PiyushGoyal to advance our trade and investment negotiations."
A 40-member European Union negotiating team will arrive in New Delhi on Thursday, marking the most intensive phase of the India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) discussions, aimed initially to conclude it by the end of this year.
A senior team of negotiators from the European Union (EU) is in New Delhi from November 3 to 7 for negotiations with the Indian counterparts on the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Monday in an official statement.