EU team to visit India ahead of FTA deadline

Members of a key panel of the European Union (EU) will visit India next week for discussions aimed at pushing the conclusion of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), with a little more than two months to go for the deadline set by the leadership of both sides to conclude the deal.

- Rezaul H. Laskar

The delegation of seven members of the EU Committee on International Trade will be in India during October 27-29 to discuss trade, economic and investment relations. The team will be led by Cristina Maestre, the committee's standing rapporteur for India, and Brando Benifei.

"The main objective of this visit is to contribute to increasing our mutual understanding amid intensive trade negotiations between the EU and India. The mission is timely taking place just a few months ahead of the deadline to conclude negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2025," Maestre and Benifei said in a statement ahead of the visit.

"We look forward to discussing the issues at stake as both sides have a mutual interest in reaching a meaningful bilateral agreement and in protecting the rules-based multilateral trade order," they said.