‘Big market of 27 countries for 'Make in India'; data protection not part of India-EU FTA’: Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal says the India-EU Free Trade Agreement will remove duties on all textile exports from day one, allowing India to compete with Bangladesh and Vietnam in European markets. He says the deal will strengthen Make in India by opening access to a 27-nation EU market that is five times larger than India’s domestic market. Goyal clarifies that data protection is not part of the agreement and will be discussed separately, while India already meets EU health and safety standards. He says the government negotiated a balanced FTA, criticises UPA-era trade deals, and accuses Congress of pushing risky FTAs, including with China.