India-EU trade deal in ‘final stages’; talks with US underway, says Piyush Goyal
Jan 12, 2026
Synopsis
India is nearing a trade agreement with the European Union. Talks are also underway for a trade deal with the United States. These developments signal significant progress in India's international trade relations. The India-EU agreement aims for completion soon. The European Union is India's largest trading partner in goods. This indicates a strengthening economic partnership.
Negotiations on a trade agreement between India and the European Union are in the final stage, while talks are ongoing with the United States for a bilateral trade deal, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday.
Goyal made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the Regional MSME Conclave in Rajkot, Gujarat.
The comments come days after India and the EU reported “good progress” in their trade negotiations following Goyal’s meetings with EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Brussels earlier this month. Both sides said outstanding issues had narrowed and reaffirmed their intent to conclude a fair and balanced agreement at the earliest.
During the Brussels engagement, Goyal and Sefcovic directed their negotiating teams to expedite discussions and resolve pending matters. The negotiations, which have seen multiple rounds over the past few years, are aimed at concluding the agreement ahead of the next India-EU Summit scheduled later this month in New Delhi.
The European Union is India’s largest trading partner in goods, with bilateral trade valued at over $136 billion in 2024–25.
US-India bilateral trade talks to continue
Goyal’s remarks also come against the backdrop of continued engagement between India and the United States on trade issues, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Monday signalling optimism over the negotiations.
India and the United States have held multiple rounds of talks on a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), and Gor said the next round is expected as early as Tuesday.
Speaking after assuming charge in New Delhi, Gor said differences between the two sides should be viewed within the framework of a resilient partnership. “Real friends can disagree, but resolve the difference,” he said, referring to the ongoing trade negotiations.
Gor added that India and the US remain in regular contact on trade matters despite unresolved issues related to tariffs and market access, even as New Delhi simultaneously advances its trade talks with the European Union.
[The Economic Times]
