EU-India summit to boost free trade talks

The 13th EU-India summit to be held Wednesday in Brussels is expected give political impetus to stalled Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, the European Union(EU) said on Tuesday.

Discussions on the summit will focus on the EU-India agenda for action 2020, which will set out concrete priority actions for the EU-India strategic partnership in the next 5 years, an official statement said.

Leaders will equally address the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with an aim to instill some political impetus to the stalled talks.

The EU and India have been negotiating a FTA since 2007, covering effective market access and investment.

"Substantial progress has been made, however, progress is needed in improved market access for some goods and services, government procurement, geographical indications and sustainable development," said the EU in a statement.

It will provide an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations between the EU and India, as well as to make concrete progress in areas of common interest such as trade and investment, energy, water, migration, climate change and sustainable development, the statement added.

The EU will be represented by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission and by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council. India will be represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy or Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini and the European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmstrom will also be present.

The EU-India strategic partnership was launched in 2004. The last EU-India summit was held in Delhi in 2012. Endit