<h1>Senior national commerce official visits European trading authority to advance Country X-Trading Bloc Y free trade agreement talks</h1> A senior national commerce official will visit the European trading authority this week to advance negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement between Country X and Trading Bloc Y, following a multi-day round of talks in Brussels. The parties aim to conclude an equitable FTA by December and are negotiating across 23 chapters including goods, services, investment, customs, rules of origin, dispute settlement, intellectual property and geographical indications. Key outstanding issues include tariff cuts on autos, medical devices and select agricultural and alcoholic products, investor protection and stronger IP rules. The pact targets increased two-way trade and investment; bilateral goods trade was about USD 136.5 billion in 2024-25.