Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal held a series of high-level meetings with senior European Union officials and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval during his visit to Brussels, aimed at deepening cooperation in trade, agriculture, clean energy, investment and sustainable industrial development.
The discussions come as India and the European Union move closer to strengthening their strategic economic partnership following the successful conclusion of negotiations on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
During his meeting with European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen, Goyal discussed expanding collaboration in the agri-food sector by strengthening resilient agricultural value chains, improving food security and promoting sustainable farming practices. Both sides explored opportunities to enhance cooperation that would benefit farmers while supporting long-term agricultural growth.
In another key meeting, Goyal met European Commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra, where discussions centred on accelerating cooperation in renewable energy, green hydrogen, clean technologies, climate action and sustainable industrial development. The two leaders also exchanged views on promoting innovation, increasing green investments and building resilient supply chains to support the shared goal of achieving net-zero emissions.
The Commerce Minister also held bilateral talks with Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Agriculture David Clarinval. The discussions focused on expanding cooperation across trade, investment, technology, logistics and workforce mobility while exploring new opportunities arising from the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic ties and creating new opportunities for businesses and industries in India and Belgium through enhanced collaboration.
According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Goyal’s two-day visit to Belgium includes engagements aimed at boosting India’s trade and investment relations with the European Union. As part of the visit, he is scheduled to visit the Port of Antwerp to study global best practices in multimodal connectivity, green logistics and resilient supply chains.
He will also visit the Antwerp World Diamond Centre to explore new avenues for cooperation in the global diamond value chain and enhance opportunities for India’s gems and jewellery industry.
The visit further includes CEO-level meetings with executives from Thales Group and Silox Group, where discussions are expected to cover aerospace, defence, cybersecurity, speciality chemicals, battery recycling and sustainable manufacturing technologies.
Goyal is also 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 Dr S. Jaishankar and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada.
The Trade and Technology Council serves as the highest institutional platform for India-EU cooperation on trade, trusted technology, innovation and economic security. The meetings are expected to further strengthen collaboration in foreign direct investment, digital technologies, supply chain resilience and sustainable industrial growth.
The visit underscores the growing strategic partnership between India and the European Union as both sides seek to expand cooperation across emerging technologies, clean energy, trade and global value chains.
Disclaimer: This report has been editorially prepared using publicly available information. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, unintentional errors or omissions may occur. Readers are encouraged to verify important information through official sources.
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