Senior officials of India and the 27-nation European Union (EU) will commence the next round of talks for a proposed free trade agreement Monday in Brussels to iron out differences on issues for early conclusion of the negotiations, an official said.

This will be the 14th round of negotiations between the two sides. The five-day talks will begin October 6, the official said.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has recently expressed hope that the two sides will sign the agreement soon.

The pact aims at boosting two-way commerce and investments.

Goyal is also likely to meet EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in South Africa later this month to review the progress of talks, as the deadline to conclude the negotiations is December.

Sefcovic and the European Commission’s Agricul

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