Overview
- India and the EU have begun a line‑by‑line legal scrubbing of the negotiated FTA text that Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday should finish within 15–20 days.
- Once the legal review is complete the text must be translated into EU official languages before the European Commission can formally propose it to the Council for authorisation to sign.
- Goyal will lead a business delegation to Spain, Belgium and Finland on July 14–15 and is scheduled to meet EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Brussels to press the timetable.
- Both sides are aiming for a signing by the end of 2026 and to have the pact operational in the first quarter of 2027, pending EU internal approvals and any ratification steps.
- India is pitching the pact as a major market opener for exporters, citing targets such as raising leather exports from about $4–4.5 billion now toward $15 billion over five to six years while also pursuing talks with Canada, Mexico, Brazil and GCC partners.