Piyush Goyal Begins 5-Day Visit To Three European Cities, Arrives In London To Boost Business Ties

SOURCE : NEW18 NEWS

Last Updated:April 28, 2025, 18:29 IST

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is on 5-day visit to 3 European cities — London, Oslo and Brussels — to strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations with the UK and Europe.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday arrived in London for two days of discussions to strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations with the UK. Goyal met UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds to push free-trade agreement (FTA) talks.

It is part of his five-day visit to three European cities — London, Oslo and Brussels — to boost business ties with the UK and Europe.

“Arrived in London for two days of engaging discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations. In my first engagement, held a productive meeting with the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds to advance Free Trade Agreement negotiations, reinforcing our commitment to deepening India-UK economic ties,” Goyal said in a post on X.

The minister, who is accompanied by a business delegation of leading Indian companies, is expected to hold a series of high-level talks with UK government ministers and officials. During a meeting with his UK counterpart, Jonathan Reynolds, the duo are scheduled to take stock of the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, believed to be approaching their final stages.

“This government is committed to doing the right deal with India which will improve access for UK businesses, cut tariffs, and make trade cheaper and easier,” a UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) spokesperson said ahead of the ministerial meeting.

“Talks have been ongoing since they were relaunched in February, and we will only sign a deal that is in the best interests of the British people and drives growth across the UK,” the spokesperson said.

The relaunch of the negotiations, following a hiatus for general elections in both countries last year, is aimed at clinching an agreement that is expected to significantly enhance the estimated GBP 41 billion a year India-UK trade partnership.

Goyal’s visit comes soon after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s London visit earlier this month, when she had highlighted a “great sense of positivity and also eagerness and a dedication” to have the FTA conclude “sooner rather than later”.

According to officials close to the discussions, the talks have been progressing at speed with some of the remaining issues expected to be ironed out at the ministerial level.

From the UK, Goyal is scheduled to leave for Oslo where he is expected to review progress of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) signed with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members which include Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland besides Norway.

For the final leg of his Europe tour, the minister is scheduled for meetings in Brussels, expected to revolve around ongoing trade negotiations with the 27-member European Union (EU).

It follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to India in February, when both sides announced plans to sign a free trade deal by the end of this year.

(With Inputs From PTI)