<h1>India and EU pledge to finish bilateral free trade agreement by year-end after progress on 11 negotiation chapters</h1> India's prime minister and the European Commission president reaffirmed a joint commitment to conclude negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) by year-end, following the 13th negotiation round. They welcomed a new EU-India strategic agenda to deepen cooperation, noted that 11 negotiation chapters (including customs, dispute settlement, digital trade, competition and capital movements) are closed, and identified remaining key issues-notably rules of origin and market access. The readout highlights the EU as India's largest trading partner (goods trade ~USD 135 billion in 2023-24) and signals intent to hold an India-EU summit next year.