India, EU look to make a fresh start for a trade deal in Brussels

India and the European Union (EU) on Friday will kick start formal negotiations towards a free-trade agreement that has been stuck for close to nine years. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and senior government officials will reach Brussels for the talks, after the ongoing negotiations at the 12th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization in Geneva are over.

The launch of fresh negotiations with the EU comes close on the heels of India signing two trade deals, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia; the country is also set to ink a pact with the United