Strong logistics links, Antwerp key to India-EU FTA: Belgian PM in Mumbai

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has said that strong logistics connections will be essential to translate the opportunities created by the India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement into actual trade growth between the two markets.

“In a world where protectionism and economic dependencies are once again gaining ground, our country chooses reliable partners and trade that diversifies our supply chains,” De Wever said at the India-Belgium High-Level Dialogue on the India-EU FTA in Mumbai on September 4 (Friday). HE is on a three-day official visit to India, the first visit by a Belgian prime minister in two decades, and had bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 3.

De Wever, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, described India as an important growth market for Belgian companies and Belgium as a key gateway to the European market. “The Port of Antwerp-Bruges thus forms a crucial logistics bridge between India and Europe,” he said.

De Wever said the port's role extended beyond its geographical position, highlighting its capabilities in handling temperature-sensitive cargo, pharmaceuticals and containerised trade. Highlighting the port's reefer capabilities, De Wever said its food safety inspections and testing facilities were designed to be fast and cost-efficient, making temperature-controlled cargo a particular strength.

He cited Indian seafood as an example, noting that Antwerp is a major entry point for Indian shrimp and other seafood destined for Northwest Europe. De Wever also highlighted the port's pharmaceutical logistics capabilities, saying the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the first port in the world to guarantee an unbroken cold chain for medicines, with the logistics process running “from gate to warehouse without a single interruption.”

The Belgian Prime Minister also pointed to opportunities arising from India's commitments to maritime services and dredging under the India-EU FTA. “India is opening maritime services and dredging further than in any previous trade agreement, and that's an excellent thing,” he said, calling for greater collaboration between India and Belgian dredging and infrastructure companies, which already have experience in the Indian market.

De Wever further identified green hydrogen as another area of potential cooperation, noting India's ambitious production plans and Belgium's ambition to become a major Northwest European import hub for green molecules. “There are so many obvious matches,” he said.

In 2025, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 6.3 million tonnes of goods originating from or destined for India, making it the third-largest trade partner for breakbulk and the seventh-largest for containers. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has maintained a permanent presence in Mumbai since 2006 and is celebrating 20 years of operations here this year. Beyond cargo flows, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges also supports India's port sector through training, knowledge exchange and expertise in areas including port management, digitalisation, nautical operations and sustainability.

William Demoor, Chief Customer Relations Officer at Port of Antwerp, said, 'India has been a crucial trade partner for Port of Antwerp-Bruges for many years, and there is still a lot of potential. With our logistics and industrial clusters, our connectivity to the European hinterland, and our twenty-year presence in India, we have everything in place to support a significant part of that growth. We want to be the natural gateway to Europe for Indian companies, and the link to one of the world's fastest-growing markets for European companies.”

With negotiations concluded in early 2026, the India-EU Free Trade Agreement offers growth opportunities. Once the agreement comes into force, import duties on a wide range of goods will be reduced or abolished, and simpler customs procedures will ensure frictionless trade. The European Commission estimates that exports of EU goods to India, worth nearly €49 billion in 2024, could double by 2032. The sectors that stand to benefit, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, textiles, and food, are closely aligned with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges' cargo flows and industrial clusters.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said the Port of Antwerp could serve as an important gateway for Indian goods entering the European market under the India-EU Free Trade Agreement. Describing Antwerp as a “doorway” through which the promise of the FTA could physically reach Europe, Goyal highlighted the port's extensive inland connectivity through barge, rail and road networks, alongside its deep-water, roll-on/roll-off and automotive capabilities.

By combining these capabilities, he said, the port could offer Indian exporters a route into Europe's industrial and consumer heartlands. Goyal also identified green hydrogen and port infrastructure as areas for deeper India-Belgium cooperation. “India's National Green Hydrogen Mission can power Europe through and through our ports, connecting green shipping infrastructure. Let us look at collaborating more deeply in this area,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called for deeper cooperation between Antwerp and Maharashtra’s port and logistics ecosystem, with a focus on technology, digitisation, green shipping, hydrogen, logistics and skills. Fadnavis noted that the India-Belgium relationship already has a foundation in port-sector cooperation, including a framework with India’s Ministry of Shipping for training Indian port officials.

He welcomed the agreement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to enhance cooperation between the Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Centre and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA).

Fadnavis also proposed that the two sides explore a formal Mumbai-Antwerp economic partnership involving governments, ports, chambers of commerce and industry. “The relationship already has foundations,” Fadnavis said, adding that he would welcome a deeper partnership between Antwerp-Bruges and Maharashtra’s port and logistics ecosystem covering “technology, digitisation, green shipping, hydrogen, logistics, and skills.”

He said he would be “very happy” for the respective teams to explore a formal Mumbai-Antwerp economic partnership involving governments, ports, chambers and industry.