Jaishankar, Goyal conclude Brussels visit for India-EU TTC meet

EAM S Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal, and Jitin Prasada concluded their Brussels visit, co-chairing the 3rd India-EU TTC ministerial. They held talks with EU and Belgian leaders, focusing on trade, technology, the FTA, and strategic partnerships.

High-Level Engagements in Brussels

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics & Information Technology and Commerce & Industry Jitin Prasada concluded their visit to Brussels, where they co-chaired the Third Ministerial Meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministers were accompanied by Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) Prof Ajay K Sood. The visit combined the TTC Ministerial with extensive bilateral and business engagements with Belgium and the European Union.

The MEA highlighted that during the visit, the three Ministers called on Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, conveying the Prime Minister's greetings and taking stock of progress since the 16th India-EU Summit held in January 2026. EAM met Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative/ Vice-President, to review the India-EU Strategic Partnership and also discussed the situation in West Asia, the need to ensure peace and stability, and safe maritime commerce, it added.

Third India-EU TTC Ministerial Meeting

According to the MEA, the Ministers co-chaired the Third India-EU TTC Ministerial on July 15, with their counterparts from the European Commission Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Maros Sefcovic, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, and Ekaterina Zaharieva Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, and also held a luncheon meeting hosted by the European Commission.

Both sides recognised the unique role of the TTC framework to "address challenges including global supply chain chokepoints, technology gaps and market access issues."

"As two large and vibrant democracies with open market economies and shared values, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to take forward the strong momentum of the partnership enabled by the India - EU FTA, Security and Defence partnership, and Mobility Framework," the MEA stated.

The MEA noted that all three working groups of the TTC demonstrated progress towards tangible outcomes across areas including strategic technologies & digital connectivity, clean energy, trade, investments and resilient supply chains. The co-chairs agreed to strengthen the TTC framework to focus on research and innovation, and developing resilient value chains in critical sectors, with enhanced engagement with industry, including start-ups.

Extensive Bilateral and Business Engagements

Meetings with EU Commissioners

On the sidelines of the TTC, EAM met Jozef Sikela, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, to discuss cooperation in connectivity, trilateral partnerships, IMEC and green shipping. In his meeting with Commissioner Zaharieva, EAM, accompanied by PSA, noted the importance of closer research collaboration and progress in cooperation in the areas of clean and green energy technologies, development of innovation hubs, and India's potential association with the Horizon Europe programme, the MEA highlighted.

Piyush Goyal also held meetings with Christophe Hansen, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and Wopke Hoekstra, EU Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth. In his meeting with Commissioner Sefcovic, CIM discussed progress on early signing and effective implementation of the India-EU FTA and avenues to deepen cooperation in trade and investment. At the European Parliament, CIM met Bernd Lange, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Chairman of the Committee on International Trade.

MoS Jitin Prasada attended a roundtable hosted by Angelika Niebler, MEP and Chair of the Delegation for relations with India, to discuss greater collaboration in the areas of semiconductors, AI and digital innovation.

Strengthening India-Belgium Ties

EAM Jaishankar also co-chaired the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue along with Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot. "Discussions focused on strengthening the political engagement between the two sides with expanded cooperation in across all areas including defence and security, mobility, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, ports, maritime cooperation, semiconductors and resilient supply chains," MEA stated.

While Piyush Goyal met Belgian Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval, covering cooperation in trade, investment and agri-food value chains. The Indian delegation led by the three Ministers was hosted for dinner by Matthias Diependaele, Minister - President of the Flanders region.

Industry Collaboration and Outreach

Piyush Goyal also met with Thomas Colinet, Managing Director, Thales Belgium, and discussed opportunities for manufacturing collaboration in India. MoS Jitin Prasada visited Barco NV, a leader digital display technologies with extensive operations in India, and was accompanied by PSA for a visit to IMEC, during which they discussed enhancement of semiconductor research collaboration.

The MEA further affirmed that the visit was also marked by extensive engagements with industry. The Ministers attended the India - EU Business Roundtable, alongside Minister President Diependaele and Adrien Dolimont, Minister - President of Wallonia and discussed deeper economic engagement with Belgian and European companies in the context of the India-EU FTA.

The visit reaffirms the continued progress in India's strategic partnership with the EU and growing engagement with Belgium across diverse sectors, the MEA noted. (ANI)

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