Friday, 6 June 2025
Piyush Goyal joins WTO Talks in Paris, representing Indian interests
India raised critical concerns on agriculture, fisheries, and WTO reform at an informal gathering of around 25 trade ministers from World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries in Paris, held on the margins of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.
According to official sources, India has reitered its long-standing call for the restoration of the WTO Appellate Body, which has remained stalled since 2019 due to a block on appointments. The country also opposed the China-led Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) proposal, emphasizing the need to focus on core trade issues rather than expanding the WTO’s negotiating mandate.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has attended the Paris meeting, where he has articulated India’s stance on multiple fronts. High on the agenda are India’s efforts to secure a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security, a measure central to the functioning of its Public Distribution System (PDS). India’s position on this issue has received support from several developing countries.
On fisheries, India will advocate for protections for small-scale and artisanal fishers, while demanding accountability from developed nations responsible for the overexploitation of marine resources. The Commerce Department is working closely with the Ministry of Fisheries to update India’s negotiating position ahead of any formal text-based discussions.
India will also call for WTO reforms to address technical barriers to trade (TBTs) that disproportionately impact developing nations and hinder market access.
During his Europe visit, Goyal will also hold bilateral talks with top trade officials from the United Kingdom, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Nigeria, and Singapore. These high-level meetings aim to strengthen bilateral economic ties and advance India’s strategic trade objectives, including progress on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with an early harvest deal targeted for July.
