Pictures’ Credit: x.com/MarosSefcovic
India and the European Union stepped up diplomatic and economic engagement this week as senior Indian ministers held meetings with European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic during his visit to New Delhi, underlining momentum in negotiations on the long-pending India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and broader strategic cooperation.
The engagements come at a crucial phase in bilateral ties, with both sides reaffirming political commitment to advancing trade talks and strengthening cooperation across security, technology and global economic governance.
Minister Jaishankar Meets EU Trade Commissioner, Signals Confidence in Talks
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Sefcovic in New Delhi on Monday, 8 December, and expressed confidence that the visiting EU delegation’s engagements in India would be productive.
Taking to social media platform X, Dr. Jaishankar said: “A pleasure to meet European Trade & Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in New Delhi today. Confident that the Commissioner and his team will have productive discussions in India.”
The meeting underscored the broader diplomatic support behind the ongoing trade negotiations, which have been complemented by parallel discussions on security, defence and strategic cooperation between India and the European Union.
Trade Talks Led by Goyal as Technical Negotiations Conclude
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also held discussions with Sefcovic as part of the Commissioner’s two-day visit. The meetings followed technical-level negotiations held in New Delhi from December 3 to 9, covering key chapters of the India–EU FTA, including market access for goods, services, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade and trade and sustainable development.
In a post on X, Minister Goyal said: “Held a productive meeting with EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner, Mr. @MarosSefcovic. We discussed the progress on the India-EU FTA and explored ways to resolve the issues to further advance the negotiations.”
Commissioner Sefcovic, in his own post, described the visit as intensive and forward-looking. “In India for a two-day marathon of meetings with @PiyushGoyal to advance our trade and investment negotiations. EU-India ties are growing fast — as they should between partners. But we’ve only scratched the surface. A commercially meaningful FTA would unlock enormous potential,” he said, adding that he looked forward to “continued cooperation towards a mutually beneficial FTA.”
High-Level EU Delegation Engages Indian Counterparts
Commissioner Sefcovic was accompanied by a senior EU delegation comprising Directorate-General for Trade Sabine Weyand, EU Ambassador to India Herve Delphin, EU Chief Negotiator Christophe Kiener, and Petros Sourmelis, Head of the Trade Section at the EU Delegation to India.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the ministerial-level engagements were aimed at providing strategic guidance to negotiating teams and sustaining momentum across multiple negotiating tracks.
Broader Strategic Context Shapes Trade Engagement
The latest engagements follow recent high-level diplomatic consultations. A joint statement issued last month after the 11th India–EU Foreign Policy and Security Consultations and the 6th Strategic Partnership Review Meeting held in Brussels on November 18–19 noted that both sides looked forward to constructive negotiations towards the timely conclusion of a Security and Defence Partnership and a Security of Information Agreement.
The consultations reviewed the full spectrum of India–EU relations and assessed progress under the ‘India–EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025’, which is scheduled to conclude this year.
According to the joint statement, both sides welcomed the “very positive momentum” in India–EU relations, citing developments such as the landmark College of Commissioners’ visit to India in February, the first EU–India Strategic Dialogue in Brussels in June led by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and EAM Jaishankar, and the EU’s adoption of a Joint Communication on its Strategic Agenda on India in September.
FTA, Investment Protection Pact and TTC in Focus
The joint statement reiterated that India and the EU had reaffirmed their ambition to conclude negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement by the end of this year, while accelerating talks on the Investment Protection Agreement and the Agreement on Geographical Indications.
Both sides also underlined the importance of cooperation at the multilateral level and continued dialogue on economic issues, including supply chain diversification. Progress under the India–EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was noted, with expectations set for the next TTC Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in 2026.
Parliamentary and Economic Engagements Continue
The diplomatic outreach has been accompanied by parliamentary engagement. On October 29, Jaishankar met a delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) in New Delhi. The meeting was also attended by Secretary (West) Sibi George and other officials from the Ministry of External Affairs.
Following that interaction, Dr. Jaishankar posted on X: “Pleased to meet delegation of European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade INTA today in Delhi. Discussed how India and the European Union can maximise convergences and deepen cooperation. This can stabilise the global economy and strengthen democratic forces. The early conclusion of the India-EU FTA can make a big difference to these objectives.”
Economic Dialogue Beyond Trade
In another engagement during the visit, Commissioner Sefcovic also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Referring to the meeting, the EU Commissioner said: “It was a genuine pleasure meeting 🇮🇳 Finance Minister @nsitharaman. We had a constructive, results-oriented discussion on key areas of shared interest and opportunity between the EU and India.”
Together, the series of meetings underscore a coordinated diplomatic and economic push by both sides, as India and the European Union seek to deepen strategic trust and move closer to concluding a comprehensive trade and economic framework.
