Sour grapes? Piyush Goyal rebuts Congress, calls India-EU trade pact a win-win
India Today
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal defended the India-EU FTA against Congress criticism, emphasising economic opportunity and mutual benefit. He described the pact as a strategic, win-win partnership that supports growth and job creation.
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has pushed back against Congress criticism of the landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU), dismissing the objections as misplaced and politically motivated. He described the pact as a “win-win” deal that would boost economic growth, expand opportunities for businesses, and deepen the nation's engagement with one of the world’s largest markets.
Goyal’s remarks came amid Congress's concerns over the agreement’s potential impact on domestic industries and regulatory space.
Both India and the EU, however, have praised the trade pact, dubbed as "mother of all deals", as a landmark step in strengthening their economic and strategic partnership.
On Wednesday, the Congress raised a series of concerns, accusing the Centre of failing to secure key safeguards for Indian industry. The party pointed to the absence of an exemption for India’s aluminium and steel sectors from the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), as well as the scale of tariff reductions or relief reportedly covering more than 96 per cent of the EU’s exports to India.
Senior leader Jairam Ramesh also flagged worries over the EU’s stringent health and product safety standards, which will continue to apply to Indian exports even after the FTA comes into force. He further highlighted concerns surrounding refined fuels, India’s largest export category to the EU, and how they may be affected under the new trade framework.
India and the 27-nation European Union first started negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement in June 2007. 16 rounds of negotiations took place but were suspended in May 2013 because of lack of agreement on many important issues. Talks on an FTA remained suspended till June 2022— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 28, 2026
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