India's trade minister warns EU regulations are raising costs for global firms

At the India-Netherlands Business Forum, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal argued that European regulations are making it harder for companies to operate, citing the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism as especially problematic. He contrasted this with India’s push to simplify rules through the Jan Vishwas programme, which shifts minor violations from criminal to monetary penalties. Goyal presented India as a secure partner that does not appropriate data, technology or ideas, and pointed to the country’s extensive clean-energy grid as a draw for data-centre investment.

Dutch foreign trade minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma defended the EU’s approach, saying unnecessary rules will be reviewed while essential climate measures remain. Trade between the EU and India totals €118.4 billion, with a pending India-EU agreement expected later this year. Bilateral trade with the Netherlands fell 16.2 % in FY26, but both sides stressed the importance of deepening ties amid a volatile global trade environment.