Negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Canada are progressing and the fifth round of talks will begin on October 5, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday.
“…the next 90 days should be a very defining period in the Canada-India relationship,” Goyal said in New Delhi.
The fourth round of negotiations concluded in New Delhi on September 18, with both sides stepping up efforts to fast-track the talks and conclude the agreement by the end of this year.
“Both sides have resolved to fast track negotiations, in view of which our team is now slated to go for the fifth round on October 5,” Goyal said.
Canada’s International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu was in Mumbai last week for talks with Goyal.
India’s major exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods and chemicals. Key imports from Canada include pulses, pearls and semi-precious stones, coal, fertilisers, paper and crude petroleum.
India’s services exports to Canada are led by telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services.
Bilateral trade between the two countries reached USD 30.4 billion in 2025, with both sides targeting to more than double it to USD 70 billion by 2030.
On the India-EU trade pact, Goyal said the agreement is expected to come into force in the coming months.
He said the pact is expected to be ratified by the European Parliament in the next three months or so and is likely to come into effect within the next six to seven months.
On the India-Chile trade agreement, Goyal said Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal recently visited Chile to review the progress of negotiations.
“I believe in the coming few months, we will hear some good news,” he said.
-(PTI inputs)
