New Delhi, August 27 (KNN) The commerce ministry held detailed discussions with Indian Ambassadors in European countries on various issues including free trade agreement (FTA).

Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia held the discussions through DVC (desktop video conferencing), the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

"This is a part of a new initiative of interaction that has been taken recently and this is the second such interaction after the ASEAN region," it said.

It stated that the deliberations took place on a range of trade issues, including matters pertaining to institutional mechanisms, market access issues and free trade agreements.

India and the European Union (EU) are negotiating a comprehensive free trade pact since June 2007.

The negotiations have witnessed many hurdles with both sides having major differences on crucial issues like intellectual property rights, duty cut in automobile and spirits, and liberal visa regime.

The two-way commerce in goods between India and the EU stood at USD 98.5 billion in 2014-15. (KNN Bureau)