After forging close partnership in the defence domain, India and France are now looking at significantly deepening economic and trade ties especially in sectors like clean energy, new technologies and aviation, French foreign trade minister Sophie Primas has said. At the end of her three-day visit to India, Primas said France is looking forward to further negotiations between New Delhi and the European Union for finalisation of a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal that could expand two-way economic engagement. India and the EU restarted negotiations for the ambitious trade deal in June 2022 after a gap of over eight years but the talks have dragged on for a variety of reasons, including the 27-nation bloc's position on carbon tax.