India is banking on Germany’s support to strengthen its relationship with the European Union (EU) and accelerate free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday, as he also called for doubling bilateral trade with Berlin.
Jaishankar held discussions in New Delhi with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, who is on a two-day visit to India. Both ministers emphasised the need to boost bilateral trade, particularly in defence and security.
Jaishankar noted that India looked to Germany for support in expediting negotiations with the EU. He stressed that New Delhi wanted the FTA talks to reach what he described as a “decisive conclusion” in the coming days.
The trade negotiations, which resumed in 2021 after being stalled for eight years, have faced challenges. The EU has been pressing India to reduce import duties on cars and dairy products while demanding stricter climate and labour standards for Indian exports. India, however, has sought to protect local farmers, resist rigid environmental requirements, and maintain control over dispute resolution mechanisms.
Wadephul said that while there were hurdles, he believed the agreement could be concluded within the coming months. He argued that if other countries raised barriers to trade, India and Germany should respond by lowering them.
The meeting came a day after India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed that trade officials were in Brussels for further discussions.
Wadephul’s visit also coincides with rising trade tensions between India and the United States. Washington recently doubled its tariffs on Indian goods, imposing an additional 25% duty over India’s purchases of Russian oil—on top of the 25% tariff first announced in July.
India has sharply criticised both the US and the EU for what it described as unfair targeting over its Russian oil imports, pointing out that both Washington and European nations continue to trade extensively with Moscow despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
