News Brief
Piyush Goyal’s France Visit Sets Stage For Big-Ticket Trade Talks And India-EU FTA Push
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday (1 June) commenced his three-day official visit to France, as part of his ongoing visit to France and Italy from 1–5 June.
In a statement, the Commerce Ministry said that the visit reflects India’s continued commitment to deepening strategic and economic ties with key European partners and advancing a shared vision for resilient and inclusive global growth.
In France, Minister Goyal will hold bilateral meetings with top French officials, including Minister of Economy Eric Lombard and Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin.
The discussions aim to expand the Indo-French economic partnership and explore fresh avenues for boosting bilateral trade and investment.
A key highlight of the France leg will be Goyal’s engagements with the top leadership of major French corporations such as Vicat, Total Energies, L’Oréal, Renault, Valeo, EDF, and ATR.
He will also participate in the India-France Business Round Table and the CEO Forum, which bring together leading industry stakeholders to foster commercial and investment collaboration.
Goyal’s visit also includes participation in an informal gathering of WTO ministers on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.
The minister will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with senior trade leaders from the UK, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Nigeria, and Brazil.
These interactions are geared towards strengthening India’s trade partnerships across regions and are expected to support momentum in India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.
In addition, Goyal is scheduled to meet senior EU figures, including Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, and Christophe Hansen, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food.
These discussions will further India’s efforts to build robust bilateral and regional trade frameworks in alignment with global economic shifts.
Following the conclusion of his France engagements, Goyal will head to Italy for the second leg of his European visit.
