India, EU Trade Deal Negotiations Stalled

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has proposed excluding agriculture from the EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations to expedite the process, citing farming as the most problematic sector. India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal echoed this sentiment, stating that no deal would be possible if the EU insists on accessing India's dairy industry, a point he emphasized during the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in New Delhi. Goyal highlighted the need to respect mutual sensitivities between the EU and India's diverse agricultural contexts. He argued that discussions on unrelated issues like labor and climate change should occur in international forums instead. Both ministers acknowledged that focusing on industrial trade could facilitate quicker agreement. The FTA talks, which resumed in July 2022, have faced delays primarily due to disagreements over agricultural access.