India-EFTA TEPA: Goyal Meets Liechtenstein Prince Alois

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal paid a courtesy call on H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein on 28 October 2026, while the Prince was in India on a State Visit. The talks turned on deepening economic engagement and carrying investment opportunities forward under the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).

What TEPA promises

The agreement came into force on 1 October 2025. Under it the EFTA States aim to raise foreign direct investment into India by 100 billion dollars over a span of 15 years and to help generate one million direct jobs. Goyal described the framework as a route for turning closer economic ties into long-term investment, productive capacity, technology partnership and employment. EFTA, the European Free Trade Association, groups Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

India's investment record, as cited

The Minister's pitch

Goyal pointed to the country's economic fundamentals, its continuing reform agenda and its widening manufacturing base as grounds for international investors to look at India. He listed the government's work on easing business processes, simplifying regulation, strengthening digital governance and holding a predictable, transparent and competitive business climate. India, he argued, offers a large and growing home market, a skilled workforce, a competitive manufacturing ecosystem and a doorway to expanding global value chains.

Where the two sides could work together

• Manufacturing partnerships and technology collaboration, with research and development added in
• Deeper links with Indian suppliers and with micro, small and medium enterprises
• Industrial cooperation in precision engineering, advanced manufacturing, industrial technologies and innovation

The Minister invited companies from Liechtenstein to look at these openings. Earlier in the same month, on 7 October 2026, the India-EFTA Prosperity Summit was held in New Delhi to mark the first anniversary of the agreement; Liechtenstein's Minister of Home Affairs, Economy and Sport, H.E. Mr. Hubert Buchel, took part along with businesses from the country. The meeting restated a shared interest in using the agreement to lift investment flows, and India's stress remains on converting the openings it creates into measurable results such as higher investment, better manufacturing capability, technology collaboration and quality employment.