Answer box
As of 18 October 2026, the EU and India are in active negotiations on a comprehensive free-trade agreement. The FTA has not created a CBAM exemption for Indian steel or aluminium exports. Standard CBAM rules apply: the EU importer pays, non-EU suppliers provide the data, and defaults + yearly mark-up are the fallback where supplier data isn’t verified. Any change would appear as an implementing act and would be logged on the rule tracker the same day.
Why this page exists
Autocomplete queries like “CBAM India EU FTA” show importer and exporter teams actively looking for the current answer. The honest answer today: no change yet; proceed on current rules.
What’s on the table in the FTA negotiations
The FTA covers many trade and services topics. CBAM-adjacent provisions are one discussion point:
- Timing: Indian negotiators have raised CBAM in the context of broader market-access talks.
- Scope: Any CBAM carve-out would be an implementing act under the EU regulation, not a free-standing FTA provision.
- Reality today: No concluded text that modifies CBAM scope for India.
What this means in practice
- Indian suppliers: prepare CBAM data as if CBAM applies in full — because today it does. Fuel bills, electricity bills, production tonnes per CN code, precursor origin, monitoring plan.
- EU importers sourcing from India: do not assume an FTA carve-out is coming on a specific timeline. Collect supplier data on the standard CBAM schedule.
- Both: watch the rule tracker for implementing- act movement, not newspaper speculation.