India, Sept. 8 -- As negotiators from India and the European Union (EU) gather in New Delhi this week, their task of hammering out a free trade agreement (FTA) before the end of the year has acquired greater urgency because of the turbulence affecting the global economic landscape due to the disruptive impact of the tariff policies of the Donald Trump administration. The trade negotiations are finely balanced, with considerable progress made on the less contentious chapters, though quite a lot of ground remains to be covered on more tricky issues such as non-tariff barriers, rules of origin and market access.

The EU's trade and agriculture commissioners are expected to give a political push to the negotiations during meetings with their ...