India-EU FTA Talks: Progress on dispute settlement, stalemate on rules of origin

In the first round of trade deal negotiations between India and the European Union after the EU College of Commissioners' visit to India last month, both countries made considerable progress in agreeing on the norms that will guide dispute settlement under the pact but failed to make a significant breakthrough on rules of origin, which help determine the national source of a product. Amid rising protectionism globally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, had announced that both sides would aim to conclude the free trade agreement by the end of 2025. The…