Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday addressed the India-Italy Business Forum plenary session in Mumbai alongside Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Goyal said India is “leaving no stone unturned for a fair, equitable, and balanced India-EU FTA,” adding that Italy’s partnership will play an important role in shaping the negotiations.
India’s push for a fair and balanced India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) remained central to the discussions. The minister said both countries are working on a “pragmatic roadmap” to expand trade, increase investments, and strengthen business ties as negotiations with the European Union continue.
He noted that Indian businesses are eager to collaborate with Italy in research and development, technology and innovation, sports, defence, space, textiles, agriculture, and food processing. He also said the two nations are pressing for faster movement on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which he described as essential for long-term connectivity and economic gains.
Reflecting on the cultural links between the two countries, Goyal spoke about the longstanding goodwill and growing people-to-people exchanges. Tajani highlighted Italy’s civilizational heritage and the global appreciation it receives today, including the growing recognition of Indian festivals such as Diwali.
Goyal said India-Italy business ties have already drawn “significant investment,” but he believes the strongest potential now lies in technology, innovation, startups, and aerospace—areas where the two countries complement one another.
He urged companies from both sides to tap opportunities in India’s vast market of 1.4 billion people and Italy’s access to the European Union.
Referring to the Joint Declaration 2025–29, the minister said both nations are committed to boosting business cooperation, technological collaboration, and investments.
He added that India and Italy are exploring collaboration in four priority sectors: automobiles, including electric vehicles; waste-to-energy; renewable technologies; and precision engineering. Joint ventures in these sectors, he said, can open pathways to the wider EU market while creating jobs and economic opportunities in both countries.
Calling the partnership a “very sustaining win-win solution,” Goyal emphasised the importance of innovators from both nations working together.
-ANI
