India and the European Union will commence their tenth round of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement in Brussels. Key issues such as agricultural tariffs, auto import duties, and regulatory barriers will be the focus,

India and the European Union are scheduled to begin the next round of talks for a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) from Monday in Brussels with the aim of concluding the talks by the end of this year,

Its their first commitment to a deadline on talks that have been going for years, as they look to soften the effect of tariff increases from the US.

In agriculture, the EU is pushing for India to cut tariffs on cheese and skimmed milk powder while it imposes high duties and very tough standards. Even if tariffs are reduced, the EU’s regulatory framework will remain a major hurdle for Indian farmers and food producers.

India-EU FTA talks are expected to focus on resolving remaining issues so that the agreement can be finalised by the end of this year.

The European Union is bracing for its first round of U.S. tariffs on Wednesday, 25% tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, affecting more EU imports in value than duties U.S. President Donald Trump imposed on EU metal imports in 2018.

The US does not appear to want to make a deal with Brussels to avoid hefty tariffs against the EU, the bloc's trade chief said Monday.