EU-India FTA: India's finished jewellery set for a big win in Europe
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : The European Union’s (EU) decision to scrap import duties on Indian gems and jewellery could partly offset the impact of steep US tariffs, according to experts. The EU currently levies import duties of 2.5-4% on finished jewellery—studded, plain, and imitation—from India, which will be eliminated under the India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) announced on Tuesday.
The deal is expected to take effect from early 2027, according to trade experts. The timeline reflects the size of the EU market and the fact that similar agreements with Australia and the United Arab Emirates took between six months and one year to take effect. India currently enjoys a small trade advantage in gems and jewellery with the EU.
Indian jewellery exports to the EU stood at $628 million in 2024, accounting for 3.78% of the bloc’s total jewellery imports of $16.63 billion. In 2024, India's overall gems and jewellery exports, which include polished diamonds, to the bloc totalled $2.7 billion, while imports from the EU totalled $2.5 billion. India’s exports of gems and jewellery to the US stood at $9.97 billion in 2024-25, roughly the same as the previous fiscal year.
However, after the imposition of tariffs in April, gems and jewellery exports to the US fell by over 40% year-on-year to $3.54 billion by November, showed data from the commerce ministry. “This deal will benefit the exports of finished jewellery from India," Kirit Bhansali, chairman of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), told Mint. “It gives a great opportunity to our jewellery companies to export to the bloc and contribute to earning valuable forex." Bhansali expects bilateral trade in gems and jewellery with the EU to
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