The signing of the free trade agreement between India and the EU is planned for 17-18 December during Prime Minister Modi’s expected visit to Brussels – Report | Today’s news
The European Union and India are reportedly working to meet a December deadline to sign a free trade agreement (FTA), with the European Commission proposing a fast-track process to speed up the pact’s approval.
The two sides intend to sign the deal around December 17 or 18 in Brussels during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit, according to a Hindustan Times report citing people familiar with the matter.
PM Modi is expected to travel to Brussels on his return from the proposed G20 meeting in Miami, media quoted him as saying.
The EU is proposing accelerated approval to avoid delays
The European Commission called on the Council of the European Union, which represents the bloc’s 27 member states, to approve the free trade agreement through an accelerated procedure proposed by EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, HT reported.
As part of the proposal, the Commission suggested completing the legal process using the original English version of the agreement instead of waiting for translations into all 24 official EU languages. The translation process could delay ratification by more than a year, the people told HT.
The Council’s approval would allow India and the EU to proceed to sign the agreement, which was finalized at the political level on January 27, 2026, according to the report.
Indian officials are strengthening cooperation with the EU
Commerce Minister Rajesh Agrawal is expected to visit Brussels and address procedural issues related to the deal, HT reported. His visit follows Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s trip to Germany and the Netherlands from October 22 to 27.
During his visit to Germany, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherine Reiche and Levin Holl, Economic and Financial Policy Advisor of the German Federal Chancellery.
Separately, a delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament led by its chairman David McAllister is scheduled to visit New Delhi on October 26-28. The visit will be the committee’s first official trip to India under the European Parliament’s current mandate.
India-EU FTA: ‘Mother of All Deals’
Negotiations on the FTA were concluded at the political level on January 27, 2026 during the 16th India-EU summit in New Delhi, according to a European Parliament research paper dated September 20 cited by HT.
The document described the deal as the “mother of all deals” and said it would create the world’s largest free trade area, covering a quarter of the world’s population and accounting for 25% of global GDP.
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India-EU Trade: Goods, Services and Investment
India is the EU’s ninth largest trading partner in goods and its sixth largest in services, according to European Commission data provided in the report.
Bilateral trade in goods between India and the EU was €118 billion in 2025. India’s key exports to the bloc include machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles, metals and petroleum products.
EU exports to India are dominated by industrial products, including machinery and equipment, transport equipment and chemicals.
Trade in services between the two sides was €67 billion in 2025. EU exports of services to India totaled €29.2 billion, while imports from India totaled €37.8 billion, according to the data.
In 2024, EU foreign direct investment (FDI) in India was €132.8 billion, compared to €13.7 billion in EU foreign direct investment.
The EU consists of 27 countries and has a combined economy of around USD 23 trillion, making it a significant potential market for Indian exporters.
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