The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX) have joined forces to establish a bilateral industry platform aimed at supporting the effective and balanced implementation of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for the textile and apparel sector.
The CITI-EURATEX initiative, named the EU-India Textile and Apparel Dialogue (TAD), will serve as a structured forum for dialogue between industry representatives, focused on promoting reciprocal market access, resilient value chains, industrial competitiveness, and sustainable growth.
The formal signing of the TAD mandate between CITI and EURATEX, together with the inaugural meeting of the joint CITI-EURATEX monitoring committee established under the TAD framework, took place at Bharat Tex 2026 in New Delhi on Tuesday.
“The establishment of the TAD assumes importance against the backdrop of India and the EU concluding FTA negotiations in January 2026, with the India-EU trade deal expected to be signed later this year,” said CITI Chairman Ashwin Chandran.
“It can serve as an effective platform for the textile and apparel industry to voice its perspective on how the free trade agreement can benefit businesses across both India and the 27-nation bloc,” Business Standard quoted him as saying.
The European Union has long been a key export destination for India’s textile and apparel industry. In 2025, it ranked as the second-largest market for India’s textile and apparel exports, with shipments to the EU valued at $7.6 billion.
However, Indian exporters have historically faced a tariff disadvantage relative to several competing nations that enjoy preferential access to the EU market. This dynamic is expected to shift once the India-EU FTA becomes operational.
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