Goyal heads to UK ahead of India-UK trade pact rollout

New Delhi: Ahead of the entry into force of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the companion Double Contribution Convention (DCC) on July 15, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal will visit the UK from June 25-27 where he would meet hold a high-level bilateral meeting with the Peter Kyle, UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

The bilateral discussions will focus on aligning regulatory roadmaps, streamlining cross-border customs coordination and finalising administrative mechanisms to facilitate the smooth implementation of CETA and the DCC, the government said Wednesday.

“The ministers will review preparedness for the implementation of CETA’s tariff liberalisation commitments, which will provide enhanced market access opportunities for Indian exports in the UK,” commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.


Discussions will also cover the operational roadmap for the DCC, which is expected to establish a streamlined mechanism to address dual social security contribution requirements for eligible temporary workers, thereby supporting greater mobility of professionals and businesses.

The engagement is an “important step” towards the operationalisation of the agreements and reflects safeguarding domestic economic interests and promoting a transparent, rules-based framework for bilateral commerce.

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer Wednesday announced that the two deals will come into force July 15 after 11 months of signing and overcoming hurdles over the UK’s steel measures.

“The two sides will further discuss the operationalisation of mutual market access commitments across key services sectors and review measures aimed at strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties,” the ministry said, adding that the visit is key to reach $120 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.

India's exports to Britain declined 7.6% on-year in FY26 to $13.44 billion while imports rose 36.1% to $11.7 billion.

Goyal will also hold standalone interactions with senior executives of leading global companies, including HSBC (Global Trade Solutions) and Rolls-Royce, to discuss strategic investments, industrial collaboration and the expansion of manufacturing partnerships in India.

As per the statement, the minister will interact with C-suite executives and representatives from Tata, TCS, HSBC, Prudential, De Beers and Baker McKenzie, to discuss opportunities for trade, investment and business collaboration.

To deepen engagement with institutional investors and global industry leaders, he will interact with financial and industrial institutions, including JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, Lloyds, Morgan Stanley and Arup.