House panel members raise questions on non-tariff barriers for Indian agricultural exports to EU 

Opposition members raised a host of questions on the non-tariff barriers for Indian agricultural exports to European countries, including the U.K., at a meeting of the standing committee on External Affairs headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday (September 10, 2025).

This meeting on “India-Europe Relationship: Opportunities and Challenges” comes a day before the EU negotiators sit down with the Indian government to discuss the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The EU team is led by  European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic, and Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen will be in Delhi.

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Mr. Hansen’s visit is crucial since agriculture has been a knotty issue for India and Europe. The two sides have agreed to keep “dairy, sugar and rice” out of the agriculture trade negotiations.

Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal briefed the parliamentarians for over two hours. Mr. Tharoor, speaking to The Hindu, described it as a comprehensive meeting. “Several questions were raised. Mr. Barthwal candidly answered the queries,” he said, without going into the details of the interaction.

The two sides have several issues to thrash out, especially the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and other non-tariff barriers for the Indian agricultural exports, which limit India’s market access. It is learnt that Mr. Barthwal said India would underline the principles of common but differentiated responsibility in development paths.

A member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Barthwal, owing to the upcoming negotiations, phrased his remarks very carefully. “He did assure us that all our concerns, especially our fears on agricultural exports, will be addressed,” a member said.