"We remain fully engaged on these negotiations," the Belgian said after talks in Brussels among the EU's 27 trade ministers.
"But I must also admit, it is not easy," De Gucht said of stumbling blocks centred on life-saving generic HIV/AIDS drugs.
He said the EU's "determination is as strong as ever," but conceded that "at a certain point, it requires pragmatism.
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Thirteen rounds of talks have been held since India and the EU started discussing a comprehensive market-opening pact in June 2007 to boost bilateral commerce.
The two sides originally hoped to conclude a wide-ranging deal by 2010 that could boost bilateral trade to 7 billion (175 billion euros) annually by 2015 from around billion currently.
But India and the EU have been at odds over intellectual property rights in patent areas involving life-saving generic HIV/AIDS drugs and other medicines which are produced by Indian companies.
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, has ex