Minister Goyal confident of signing of FTA with EU
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Mumbai: Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday exuded confidence in overcoming issues to finalise a freed trade agreement with the European Union.
Without sharing a timeline on when the pact is expected to be signed, Goyal said that countries like Italy will be able to export their wines and automobiles to India and in turn, India will be able to export whiskies, textiles and auto components to the 27-country bloc. Citing his discussions with the EU earlier this week, Goyal said, "We are confident… there are a few issues which we still get over the line. I do believe we should be able to get this over the finishing line," Goyal said. He added that teams are putting in their best efforts to deliver a good agreement, leaving no stone unturned. The Indo-EU FTA will be a fair, equitable and balanced document which will be a win-win for all the countries, Goyal said during his remarks at the Italy-India Business Forum, in the presence of Antonio Tajani, Italy's visiting Deputy PM and Foreign Minister.
Both Goyal and Tajani stressed the need for cooperation between democracies for smooth supply of raw materials in the global market. Tajani said one country cannot play a "kingmaker" in deciding the raw material prices which are critical for production.
The Italian Deputy PM said there is a need for a "political agreement" between Italy-Europe-India-Japan and the USA on this aspect.
