New Delhi: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, along with other senior figures such as European Council President Antonio Costa, is expected to attend the January 26 parade next year as chief guest, said sources on Thursday. Around the same period, New Delhi will host the India–EU summit, where both sides plan to move toward signing the proposed Free Trade Agreement.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal recently noted that talks on the India–European Union trade pact are advancing across multiple chapters. Although there was earlier hope of concluding the negotiations by the end of the year, he said free trade agreements are not tied to rigid timelines. “There is deep engagement on all issues, and we are narrowing down differences. Physical and virtual meetings are being carried out to close the deal,” he told reporters on Monday.
The two sides have already held 14 rounds of discussions. An EU delegation was in New Delhi from December 3 to 9, during which Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic on December 8 and 9. Goyal’s talks came after Agrawal met the European Commission’s Director-General for Trade on December 7.