India and the European Union (EU) are gearing up for the 14th round of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in Brussels on Monday, as both sides aim to smoothen out the differences and finalise the deal by the end of the year.Senior officials from India and the 27-member bloc will hold a five-day round of talks, beginning from October 6. An official said the discussions will aim to resolve outstanding issues to help conclude the negotiations at the earliest.Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal recently expressed confidence that the two sides will sign the agreement soon. He is also expected to meet EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic in South Africa later this month to assess the progress, with December set as the deadline to wrap up the talks, PTI reported. The pact seeks to boost two-way commerce and investments.Last month, Sefcovic and European commission agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen travelled to India to meet Goyal and review developments in the negotiations.The proposed trade pact, revived in June 2022 after an eight-year pause, seeks to boost trade and investment flows between India and the EU. Earlier talks were suspended in 2013 over disagreements on market access.The EU is pressing for steep tariff cuts on automobiles and medical devices, lower taxes on products such as wine, spirits, meat and poultry, and stronger intellectual property protections. For India, the deal could make its exports, including ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, steel, petroleum products and electrical machinery, more competitive in the European market, according to PTI.Negotiations cover 23 policy areas, including goods and services trade, investment, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, rules of origin, customs and trade facilitation, competition, trade remedies, government procurement, dispute settlement, intellectual property rights, geographical indications and sustainable development.The EU is currently India’s largest trading partner for goods. Bilateral trade reached $136.53 billion in 2024–25, with Indian exports worth $75.85 billion and imports worth $60.68 billion. The bloc accounts for around 17% of India’s total exports, while India makes up 9% of the EU’s global exports.In services, bilateral trade stood at $51.45 billion in 2023.

KARACHI:

Legal Adviser to the President of Pakistan Justice (Retd) Irfan Qadir has said that the president’s decision on appeals against rulings of the Banking Mohtasib (Ombudsman) holds great importance.

“Banks can appeal to the president against the ombudsman’s decision,” he said while addressing a conference on Saturday, marking the completion of 20 years of the establishment of Banking Mohtasib Pakistan and themed “Work Ethics”.

He said that once the president delivers a decision on an appeal, banks cannot challenge that ruling in a court of law. According to the law, judges cannot hear cases against the president’s decisions on such appeals.

The legal adviser pointed out that Section 18 of the Federal Ombudsman Institutional Reforms Act 2013 bars judges from hearing such cases. If a judge hears a case against the president’s ruling, a reference can be filed against them. He said that banks have approached courts against the president’s decisions, but despite such violations of the law, no reference has been filed against any judge so far.

Irfan Qadir added that during fiscal year 2024-25, the president endorsed more than 500 decisions of the Banking Mohtasib. The president provided more than 100% relief to victims of bank fraud. He stressed that the ombudsman is of vital importance as it helps restore confidence in the banking sector.

He noted that cases of ATM misuse, digital transaction fraud, e-commerce frauds and account closures have been observed in the country. The Banking Mohtasib not only provided relief to almost 100% of fraud victims but also safeguarded the rights of ordinary citizens. Most banks have accepted and implemented the ombudsman’s decisions.

Speaking at the event, Pakistan Banks’ Association President Zafar Masud said that negative outlook has become common in society, where even good actions are often viewed with suspicion. He said there are examples showing that when arrogance sets in, decline soon follows. Therefore, it is necessary to control one’s desires and strictly adhere to the code of ethics in work.

He recalled the tragic plane crash he survived, saying that at first he thought the plane would land safely, but when he looked out the window and saw buildings dangerously close, he realised the gravity of the situation. The incident deeply affected him for four months. He said that no one in society is mentally fully healthy. He himself has never feared death, a trait he said he inherited from his father. After the plane crash, he has become even more fearless.

The potential free trade agreement (FTA) and investment protection pact between India and the EU could be a “game changer” amid rising tariffs and market access restrictions in other regions, said EU Ambassador Herve Delphin. Speaking ahead of the 14th round of FTA negotiations in Brussels, Delphin acknowledged that talks remain “challenging” with several unresolved issues. The comments come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen committed to concluding the trade deal by December 2025. The EU is India’s largest trading partner, with goods trade reaching $135 billion in 2023-24. Delphin, addressing the Federation of European Business in India (FEBI) on Tuesday, highlighted the FTA’s potential to open new opportunities and strengthen bilateral trade ties, particularly in light of trade disruptions caused by policies under the Trump administration.“The FTA can open new opportunities for EU and Indian businesses and create conditions to significantly increase our bilateral trade and investment,” Delphin said.“While some countries are raising tariffs or otherwise closing their markets, we should use the FTA to diversify trade, hedge against uncertainties and strengthen our supply chains,” he further added at Federation of European Business in India (FEBI) on Tuesday, the script of which was released Saturday.EU Ambassador Herve Delphin also said the negotiating teams from India and the EU are working diligently on the free trade agreement (FTA). “(It is) fair to say the negotiations are challenging and important issues remain to be solved. The 13th round earlier in September with the direct involvement of Commissioners (Maros) Sefcovic and (Christophe) Hansen on the EU side did not result in the sort of breakthrough, which was expected,” he said.The 13th round of negotiations took place in Delhi, with European Commission Agriculture Commissioner Hansen and Trade Chief Sefcovic in attendance.Delphin added, “The EU was and is still ready to conclude on a meaningful package. We look forward to the next round and further negotiations towards a mutually beneficial deal.”According to the EU, while 11 chapters—including customs, dispute settlement, and digital trade—have been finalised, key areas such as rules of origin and market access are still under discussion. The 13th negotiation round in September, involving Commissioners Sefcovic and Hansen, did not yield the anticipated breakthrough. Delphin emphasised the EU’s readiness to conclude a meaningful deal, pointing to the strong economic complementarity between India and the EU. “Given that the EU and India represent the second and fourth largest economies globally, the potential for expanding bilateral trade relations is significant,” he said.