India, March 17 -- Ireland backs efforts by India and the European Union (EU) to finalise a free trade agreement (FTA) within the year as a deal will make trade "more friction-less" though such pacts are not simple, Irish higher education and innovation minister James Lawless said on Monday.

Lawless, who is visiting India with a business delegation as part of Ireland's practice of sending senior ministers to key capitals on the occasion of St Patrick's Day, also highlighted opportunities in Ireland for Indian skilled workers such as healthcare personnel, fintech professionals and STEM graduates.

Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently set their negotiators the target of fi...