Photo Credit:
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s Germany visit puts manufacturing, technology and investment partnerships at the centre of India’s latest economic outreach to Europe.
The Germany leg, scheduled for 22–24 October 2026, will be followed by engagements in the Netherlands from 24–27 October. Around 100 Indian businesses and startups are accompanying the Minister across the two countries.
Berlin agenda spans industry and innovation
Minister Goyal is scheduled to participate in the Berlin Global Dialogue and hold bilateral meetings with Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Chancellery’s Economic and Financial Policy Adviser and G7/G20 Sherpa.
The agenda includes advanced engineering, green mobility and clean technology. Parallel business roundtables will cover automotive and manufacturing, infrastructure and energy, IT and artificial intelligence, consumer industries, and healthcare.
The delegation will also participate in an investment roundtable with Germany Trade & Invest on establishing operations in Germany, alongside engagements with research institutions and think tanks on deeptech, microelectronics, skills and supply chains.
India–EU FTA provides the wider backdrop
India and the EU began trade negotiations in 2007, suspended them in 2013 and relaunched talks in 2022. The conclusion of negotiations was announced at the India–EU Summit in New Delhi on 27 January 2026.
In September 2026, the European Commission submitted proposals to the Council of the EU for the agreement’s signature and conclusion. The agreement is intended to reduce trade barriers, simplify customs procedures and expand market access.
The conclusion of negotiations does not itself bring the agreement into force. Signature and the required approval and ratification procedures remain distinct stages. Separate negotiations on investment protection and geographical indications are also continuing.
Building on earlier German engagements
The visit follows Minister Goyal’s meeting with German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche in Berlin on 23 October 2025. Their discussions covered trade, investment, technology, green energy and skills, following a video conference on 7 August that year.
During the October 2025 visit, Minister Goyal also met Dr. Levin Holle, Germany’s Economic and Financial Policy Adviser and G7/G20 Sherpa, and chaired a roundtable with German Mittelstand business leaders at the Indian Embassy. Those discussions explored business links in innovation, sustainability and advanced manufacturing.
Earlier, on 3 September 2025, Minister Goyal met German Foreign Minister Dr. Johann David Wadephul in India. The Ministers discussed supply-chain resilience, skills, visa processes and non-tariff barriers facing Indian exporters. They also committed to working towards doubling bilateral goods trade, which stood at US$29.12 billion in 2024–25.
Netherlands programme to follow
The subsequent Netherlands programme includes ministerial meetings in The Hague and the India–Netherlands Business Forum on 26 October. The business delegation is scheduled to visit the Port of Rotterdam on 25 October.
Across both countries, the programme connects government discussions with sector-specific business engagement, covering opportunities in manufacturing, innovation, clean energy and logistics.
