Officials discussed customs cooperation and market access as the partners prepare for legal review and approval of a pact expected to cut tariffs on more than 99% of Indian exports to the EU.
India and the European Union moved a step closer to putting their long-awaited free trade agreement into practice after senior officials met in Brussels to work through the remaining technical and procedural hurdles. According to the Indian commerce ministry, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal held talks with top European Commission trade officials on how to improve market access, ease customs procedures and make supply chains more resilient as both sides prepare for implementation. The discussions underlined that the pact is not yet in force, but that the two parties want to keep momentum after concluding negotiations earlier this year.
The Indian government said the Brussels meetings focused on trade facilitation, customs cooperation and the need for transparent, digitally enabled systems that can cut costs and help goods move more smoothly. Taxtmi reported that the talks also covered development cooperation, clean energy and green technologies, and included engagement with diamond-industry stakeholders as well as a BusinessEurope roundtable on trade and investment opportunities. That broader agenda suggests the agreement is being viewed not just as a tariff deal, but as part of a wider effort to deepen economic ties.
Negotiations were formally completed at the India-EU summit on 27 January 2026, with both sides describing the outcome as a balanced economic partnership. The European Commission said the agreement would next pass through legal review, translation, approval and signature steps before it can enter into force, while the Indian government has said it is aiming for signature in mid-December 2026 and ratification by mid-2027. The pact is expected to remove tariffs on more than 99% of Indian exports to the EU, a change that officials say should particularly help labour-intensive industries such as textiles, apparel, leather and jewellery.
Textiles and apparel are already a significant part of India’s trade with Europe. Industry data cited by Apparel Resources shows India’s apparel exports to the EU reached a record $4.66 billion in FY26, up from $4.55 billion the previous year. Ready-made garments accounted for about 60% of that trade, followed by cotton textiles at 17% and man-made fibre textiles at 12%. The European Union remains one of India’s most important export markets after the United States, and the bloc imported $263.5 billion worth of textile and apparel products in 2024, according to the same industry report.
For India’s exporters, the attraction of the agreement lies in easier access to a large and affluent market, while the EU is seeking a more predictable trading relationship with one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies. The European Commission says the wider package also covers services, rules of origin, digital trade and small businesses, making it one of the most comprehensive trade frameworks under discussion between the two sides. If the timetable holds, the Brussels meetings will be remembered as one of the final preparatory steps before the accord moves from negotiation to execution.
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