Union Minister Piyush Goyal begins France visit to strengthen economic ties

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal commenced a three-day official visit to France on June 1 until June 5. 

According to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the tour is commitment to bolstering strategic and economic partnerships with key European allies and promoting inclusive global growth.

In France, the minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with senior French officials such as Eric Lombard (Minister of Economy) and Laurent Saint-Martin (Trade Minister.

The talks will focus on expanding the Indo-French economic partnership and identifying new avenues for trade and investment cooperation, the ministry said, the visit features a robust agenda of strategic business engagements with top executives from major French firms such as Vicat, TotalEnergies, L’Oréal, Renault, Valeo, EDF, and ATR.

Key events include the India-France Business Round Table and the India-France CEO Forum, aimed at enhancing dialogue between industry leaders of both nations.

Goyal will also participate in the informal WTO Ministerial gathering on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting where he will engage with global counterparts on multilateral trade issues and present India’s perspectives.

Additionally, the minister will also hold meetings with international counterparts, including the UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kasabi.

Engagements are also scheduled with trade ministers from Israel, Nigeria, and Brazil to foster economic cooperation and support India-EU FTA negotiations.

Further meetings with key EU officials, including Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Commissioner Christophe Hansen.