UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal visits Brussels for high-level dialogue with European Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security
Q1. How many Working Groups have been constituted under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC)?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q2. With reference to the Working Groups constituted under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), consider the following:
1. Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity
2. Green and Clean Energy Technologies
3. Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains
4. Defence and Space Cooperation
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as TTC Working Groups?
- Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity
- Green and Clean Energy Technologies
- Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains
- Defence and Space Cooperation
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 3 and 4 only
Q3. With reference to the history of the India-EU Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)/FTA, consider the following statements:
1. The negotiations were originally launched in 2007.
2. The last round before suspension was held in 2013.
3. Negotiations were re-launched in June 2022 after a gap of about nine years.
4. The talks were suspended in 2013 because India withdrew from the negotiations.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- The negotiations were originally launched in 2007.
- The last round before suspension was held in 2013.
- Negotiations were re-launched in June 2022 after a gap of about nine years.
- The talks were suspended in 2013 because India withdrew from the negotiations.
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q4. On the Indian side, the India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations are led and operationalised by which one of the following?
- A. Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- B. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
- C. Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
- D. Ministry of External Affairs
Q5. During Piyush Goyal's January 2026 Brussels dialogue, the European Union side was politically led, at the ministerial level, by the holder of the Trade portfolio. Who held the post of EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security?
- A. Maroš Šefčovič
- B. Ursula von der Leyen
- C. Valdis Dombrovskis
- D. Sabine Weyand
Q6. With reference to the officials associated with the January 2026 India-EU trade dialogue, consider the following pairings:
1. Piyush Goyal — Union Minister of Commerce and Industry
2. Maroš Šefčovič — EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security
3. Rajesh Agrawal — India's Commerce Secretary
4. Sabine Weyand — EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security
Which of the pairings given above is/are correctly matched?
- Piyush Goyal — Union Minister of Commerce and Industry
- Maroš Šefčovič — EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security
- Rajesh Agrawal — India's Commerce Secretary
- Sabine Weyand — EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 2, 3 and 4 only
- C. 1 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q7. In the context of the India-EU FTA negotiations, the 'Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE)' is best described as which one of the following?
- A. The department of the European Commission responsible for the EU's trade and investment policy and for negotiating trade agreements
- B. An inter-governmental council composed of the trade ministers of the 27 EU member states
- C. The judicial body of the EU that adjudicates trade disputes among member states
- D. A division of the European Central Bank that finances the EU's external trade
Q8. With reference to the European Union and India-EU trade, consider the following statements:
1. The European Union is a bloc of 27 member states.
2. The EU is India's largest trading partner for goods.
3. India and the EU together account for about 25% of global GDP.
4. India and the EU are respectively the 2nd and 4th largest economies in the world.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- The European Union is a bloc of 27 member states.
- The EU is India's largest trading partner for goods.
- India and the EU together account for about 25% of global GDP.
- India and the EU are respectively the 2nd and 4th largest economies in the world.
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q9. India's Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), which entered into force on 1 October 2025, was signed with the EFTA bloc. How many countries constitute the EFTA bloc that is party to this agreement?
- A. Three
- B. Four
- C. Five
- D. Twenty-seven