Overview
- At Davos, Ursula von der Leyen said the proposed free trade agreement is “on the cusp,” calling it the “mother of all deals” that could link markets of about 2 billion people and nearly a quarter of global GDP.
- Von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will visit India on Jan 25–27 and co-chair the 16th India–EU Summit on Jan 27, where leaders are expected to declare negotiations closed.
- Talks began in 2007, were paused in 2013, and relaunched in 2022, with negotiators indicating substantial technical progress across most chapters.
- Unresolved issues include the level of tariff liberalisation, services and mobility rules, the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and broader regulatory alignment.
- Both sides cast the pact as strategically important, with the EU targeting supply-chain diversification and India seeking expanded access to the 27‑member bloc that is already its largest goods-trade partner.