Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever took a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump over his decision to impose tariffs saying many voices are now calling for tariff barriers to go up but they do it arbitrarily. De Wever said the India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) made both sides resilient against disruption and coercion. “Ladies and gentlemen, more and more voices today are calling for barriers to go up, for markets to be shut off, for tariffs to be imposed. Some do this entirely arbitrarily. They decide something on Monday, they revoke it on Wednesday and reinstall on Saturday. You all know who I am talking about. I am not going to say the name but you know these people arbitrarily do it without any economic logic at all,” De Wever said without naming Trump. Wever was in Mumbai for the India–Belgium High-Level Dialogue on the India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the India-EU FTA was a win-win for everyone. CM Devendra Fadnavis said India EU FTA will fundamentally change the India EU relationship Maharashtra should become the demonstrative state for the India EU FTA implementation.Wever said PM Narendra Modi is a wise leader, and one of the most inspiring world leaders. “Antwerp is pocket sized Mumbai in Belgium. We are sailing through rough waters but India and the EU have chosen partnership. We have concluded the mother of all deals. It is an expression of mutual respect. Our cooperation is directed towards international order. The FTA arrives at a critical moment. To make trading partnerships more predictable. If every community in Belgium is like the Indian community I would be a happy Prime Minister,” De Wever said.Goyal said the India EU FTA was in the making for 25 years. “It is a win-win agreement, it will open opportunities for farmers, start ups, women entrepreneurs, it has something for everyone. It’s been deftly negotiated protecting sensitive sectors on both sides. It offers huge potential for both sides,” Goyal said.“66% India’s data center capacity is in Maharashtra. We want Belgium to be part of Maharashtra’s journey to a trillion dollar economy. We have bilateral trade of 13.8 billion USD. But it understates the potential. Maharashtra would like to contribute and be the principal engine of this growth story. I want to make a direct invitation. If Belgium companies are looking at India for investment after the FTA, look and come to Maharashtra. We have a manufacturing ecosystem. This should become a template for Belgium – Maharashtra partnerships,” Fadnavis said.Fadnavis said Maharashtra would like to be the first state to translate the FTA into action. “Belgium Maharashtra projects must be fast tracked. If Belgium companies identifies – project, we will dedicate a team and work with Belgium to make it happen. Come to Maharashtra and from Maharashtra serve India and the world.
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Maharashtra is volunteering to convert strategic direction into action,” Fadnavis said.De Wever is on an official visit to India from 2-4 September. This is De Wever’s first visit to India since taking office in February 2025. On Thursday, De Wever began his visit by paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. De Wever then held bilateral talks with the PM Narendra Modi.
✍️ Vikrant Kharwar
Vikrant Kharwar is the Founder and Editor of News Us Media. He writes about trending news, sports, entertainment, technology, and viral stories. His goal is to make news simple, informative, and easy to understand for readers across the United States and around the world.
