India, EU hold high-level talks to strengthen trade and economic ties

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal held a series of high-level meetings with senior European Commission officials in Brussels to strengthen the comprehensive economic and strategic partnership between India and the European Union (EU), with discussions focusing on trade facilitation, market access, supply chain resilience and preparations for the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), according to government agency .
Agrawal met Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security (DG TRADE); Koen Doens, Director-General of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA); and Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD).
During his meeting with Jørgensen, both sides discussed measures to facilitate two-way trade, improve market access, strengthen supply chain resilience and create new business opportunities in India and the EU. They reaffirmed their commitment to a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial agreement and agreed to maintain close engagement to address the remaining procedural and implementation-related issues.In his meeting with Doens, Agrawal exchanged views on strengthening India-EU development cooperation and strategic partnerships. Discussions covered sustainable development, clean energy, green technologies and other areas of mutual interest.
The meeting with Thomas focused on customs cooperation, trade facilitation and preparations for the implementation of the India-EU FTA. Both sides emphasised the importance of efficient, transparent and digitally enabled customs procedures to support businesses, reduce transaction costs and ensure the smooth movement of legitimate trade.
Agrawal also held discussions with stakeholders from the diamond industry, including representatives associated with the Antwerp diamond ecosystem. The discussions covered the global diamond value chain, certification and traceability requirements, responsible sourcing and opportunities arising from India's growing diamond market and manufacturing ecosystem.
India and Belgium have identified the gems and jewellery sector as an important area for deeper cooperation, with Antwerp, Mumbai and Surat recognised as major diamond centres.The Commerce Secretary also participated in a BusinessEurope roundtable with European industry representatives to discuss opportunities to strengthen trade and investment ties, improve market access, enhance supply chain resilience and advance cooperation under the India-EU FTA.
Highlighting India's strong economic growth, reform momentum and investment opportunities across key sectors, Agrawal invited European businesses to deepen their engagement with India and participate in its expanding value chains.The engagements underline the growing scope of India-EU cooperation across trade, investment, development partnerships, taxation and customs, while reaffirming the commitment of both sides to further strengthen their strategic relationship.