Policymakers, industry leaders and trade experts gather at FICCI Federation House to deliberate on leveraging India’s next-generation trade agreements with Europe
The Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), organised a conference titled “Next-Gen Trade Pacts: Leveraging India’s Partnership with Europe under FTAs” on May 19, 2026 at FICCI Federation House, New Delhi. The conference brought together policymakers, industry representatives, trade experts, legal practitioners and members of academia to deliberate on India’s evolving trade engagement with Europe under emerging free trade agreements.
FICCI Secretary General, Shri Anant Swarup welcomed participants and highlighted the growing significance of India’s trade partnerships with Europe, while FICCI Foreign Trade and Trade Facilitation Committee Chair and Shahi Exports Managing Director, Mr. Harish Ahuja underlined the need to strengthen standards infrastructure, testing and certification capabilities, digital compliance tools and institutional mechanisms to address non-tariff barriers in European markets.
Delivering the keynote address, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce and Industry Darpan Jain described the conclusion of India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations as a significant milestone in India’s economic diplomacy, stating that the agreement would provide preferential tariff treatment to 99.5% of Indian exports and would strengthen India’s integration into European value chains.
The conference featured four thematic sessions covering opportunities arising from India’s trade agreements with Europe, standards and regulatory compliance in European markets, services trade and digital economy engagement and the implications of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for Indian industry. Discussions examined pathways for enhancing market access, addressing sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade, expanding India’s services presence in European markets and navigating emerging carbon-related trade measures.
CTIL experts presented on leveraging India’s FTAs with the United Kingdom, the European Union and the European Free Trade Association; SPS and TBT barriers under new trade pacts; services trade and digital economy engagement; CBAM and EU carbon measures; and the Trade Remedies Advisory Cell of CTIL. Dr. James J. Nedumpara, Professor and Head of CTIL and India Chair of the WTO Chairs Programme, delivered the context-setting address, emphasising that the evolving trade architecture between India and Europe extends beyond tariff liberalisation to broader disciplines shaping the future of international trade.
Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)
