As per the details revealed by the commerce ministry, India and the European Union concluded the first round of talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) on Friday last week and the next round of talks is scheduled at Brussels in September.
India and the 27-nation bloc resumed negotiations on June 17, after a gap of more than eight years, on the proposed agreements on trade, investments and geographical indications (GI). The first round of talks, which began on June 27, concluded on July 1. India’s FTA negotiations were led by chief negotiator Nidhi Mani Tripathi, Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce and the EU was represented by its chief negotiator Christophe Kiener. The week-long negotiations were held in a hybrid fashion – with some of the teams meeting in Delhi and the majority of officials joining virtually.
