Piyush Goyal Holds Talks With EU Agriculture Commissioner, Eyes Deeper Agri Partnership

Last Updated:July 15, 2026, 07:44 IST

The meeting between the global leaders comes as the India-EU FTA enters the legal scrubbing stage after negotiations concluded earlier this year.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday held talks with European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen, with the two leaders discussing ways to deepen India-European Union cooperation in the agri-food sector as the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) moves towards implementation.

Sharing details of the meeting on X, Goyal said the discussions focused on strengthening agricultural ties by building resilient supply chains, improving food security and supporting sustainable growth.

“Held a fruitful meeting with Mr Christophe Hansen, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food. Building on the successful conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, we discussed avenues to further deepen our agricultural partnership by strengthening resilient agri-food value chains, enhancing food security, supporting farmers & promoting sustainable growth," he said.

Also Read: After Huddle With PM Modi, EU Chief Says India-EU’s ‘Mother Of All Deals’ Will Be Signed This Year

The meeting comes as the India-EU FTA enters the legal scrubbing stage after negotiations concluded earlier this year. The agreement, which has been under negotiation for nearly two decades, is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2027 following ratification by both sides.

India-EU FTA’s Legal Scrubbing To Conclude In Two Weeks

Speaking at the India-Spain Business Forum on July 13, Goyal had said the legal scrubbing process was expected to conclude within “another week or two" and expressed confidence that the agreement could become operational a few months after the India-UK FTA, which is set to take effect on July 15.

“India-EU FTA legal scrubbing should be over in another week or two. Expectations are that we should be up and about operational a few months after the India-UK FTA, which gets operational on July 15," the minister said.

He also described the India-EU pact as potentially the fastest European Union trade agreement to move from political agreement to implementation, saying it had secured political acceptance from all 27 EU member states.

“At the political level, this is the only FTA that Europe has finalised that has gone through without any criticism from any of the member states. The 27 member states are all aligned, as are businesses in India, with not a murmur of dissatisfaction back home in India," he said.

Goyal is on a two-day visit to Belgium from July 14-15 to strengthen India’s trade and investment partnership with the European Union.

Besides meeting Hansen, he is also holding talks with senior EU leaders, participating in the India-EU Business Roundtable and co-chairing the third India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Ministerial Meeting alongside External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada.

The visit also includes engagements with industry leaders and visits to the Port of Antwerp and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre to explore opportunities for collaboration in logistics, resilient supply chains and the gems and jewellery sector.

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