New Delhi : European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday said a “successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure,” as she attended the 77th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi amid momentum on a landmark India–EU trade deal. President Droupadi Murmu took the salute shortly after arriving in a traditional buggy with Costa and von der Leyen, flanked by the President’s bodyguards.
A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure. And we all benefit”. Her remarks came ahead of her India-EU summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi and Brussels are set to announce the conclusion of negotiations on the much-awaited free trade agreement at the India-EU summit on January 27. The European Union is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral goods trade touching USD 135 billion in FY 2023–24. Officials said that the proposed free trade agreement could substantially boost commercial engagement between the two sides.
Beyond trade volumes, the pact is expected to bring a qualitative shift in overall India-EU ties across multiple sectors, especially at a time when global commerce is being disrupted by Washington’s tariff-driven policies. The ambitious FTA is taking shape amid growing unease over US trade and tariff measures that have affected both India and the 27-nation bloc, pushing New Delhi and Brussels to deepen economic cooperation.
India and the EU first opened FTA negotiations in 2007, but talks were put on hold in 2013 after differences over the level of ambition. The process was revived nearly a decade later, in June 2022. Earlier in the day, a news agency Reuters report stated India is likely to sharply cut import tariffs on cars from the European Union to 40 per cent from the current peak of 110 per cent under a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) that could be finalised as early as Tuesday.
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