India remains hopeful of concluding negotiations for a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU) by the end of the current calendar year, commerce secretary Rajesh Agarwal said on Wednesday. A team of Indian officials are currently in Brussels to continue talks on Rules of Origin.

Talks between India and EU to clinch a free trade agreement are at an advanced stage. The 14th round of negotiations between India and EU was held from October 6 to 10 in Brussels and discussions covered 12 policy areas of the FTA across 91 technical sessions with a focus on key areas including market access for goods, services, Rules of Origin, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Agarwal said that the last round of negoti

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