Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal completed a comprehensive series of industry-focused engagements in Brussels on 14-15 July 2026 on the sidelines of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Ministerial. According to reports from Business Standard, the visit was specifically designed to discuss strengthening industrial cooperation and exploring opportunities for technology partnerships, with the primary focus on expanding bilateral trade opportunities and enhancing industrial collaboration between the two regions. The visit imparted fresh momentum to India's expanding economic engagement with Europe, with understandings reached during the visit expected to strengthen technology partnerships, promote investment flows, improve market access for Indian exporters and expand cooperation in future-oriented sectors.
On 14 July 2026, Minister Goyal met with key European industry leaders to advance bilateral cooperation. He engaged with Mr. Alain Queverin, CEO of Thales Belgium, to discuss strengthening industrial cooperation and exploring technology partnership opportunities. Additionally, he held discussions with Mr. Jean Christophe Bogaert, Managing Director of Silox Group, focusing on expanding bilateral trade opportunities and enhancing industrial collaboration. These meetings marked the beginning of the Minister's industry outreach in Brussels, providing a constructive platform for engagement with European industry leaders and setting the stage for subsequent interactions that could further deepen bilateral cooperation in the industrial sector.
On 15 July 2026, Minister Goyal participated in a significant Business Roundtable hosted by the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB). The roundtable brought together leading Indian and European industry representatives to deliberate on trade facilitation, investment flows, supply chain resilience and digital innovation. Later in the day, he interacted with members of the FICCI delegation at Hotel Steigenberger, where representatives of Indian industry shared their perspectives on enhancing competitiveness, addressing regulatory challenges and leveraging opportunities under the TTC framework. Throughout the visit, he held extensive interactions with business leaders, industry associations and investors across all four countries, with discussions focusing on building resilient supply chains, facilitating investments, strengthening innovation partnerships, promoting manufacturing collaboration and expanding opportunities for Indian MSMEs and startups.
The discussions during the ministerial engagement centered on strengthening industrial cooperation and exploring opportunities for technology partnerships between India and the European Union. The meetings were specifically aimed at identifying concrete areas of collaboration that could enhance bilateral trade opportunities and promote industrial collaboration between the two regions, with particular emphasis on technology-driven initiatives. The interactions emphasised industry-led growth, greater market access for Indian enterprises and innovation-driven partnerships under the Trade and Technology Council framework, highlighting India's commitment to advancing industrial cooperation through technology advancement and business-to-business collaboration. The Minister encouraged European businesses to leverage India's rapidly growing economy, large domestic market, world-class digital public infrastructure, skilled workforce and stable policy environment to establish India as their preferred manufacturing, innovation and export hub.
