The stage is set in India’s capital as Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, landed on Saturday for crucial discussions. Her timely X post – a 34-second video – captured the electric mood surrounding the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, now tantalizingly close to fruition.
Captioned evocatively as ‘All trade deals’ birthplace. Nearing EU-India FTA. Delhi soon,’ the video features von der Leyen outlining the deal’s grandeur. ‘India bound. Work ahead, yet so near to history’s mother of deals: a two-billion-strong market, a fourth of global GDP. Europe eyes growth epicenters – Latin America to Indo-Pacific powerhouses. Europe picks the world; the world picks Europe.’
Welcomed by Minister Jitin Prasada, von der Leyen’s enthusiasm echoes her Davos pitch, framing the FTA as Europe’s strategic leap into Asia’s dynamism.
Come January 27’s India-EU Summit, negotiations are expected to culminate triumphantly. Parties will endorse a declaration closing talks, teeing up parliamentary nods in Europe. This sweeping pact covers goods and services trade with the EU – India’s premier export hub – crowning it as New Delhi’s most ambitious trade venture.
Layered atop are pacts for security-defense synergy and streamlined mobility for Indian professionals into EU labor markets. Von der Leyen’s visit heralds not just economic alignment but a broader strategic embrace, positioning India and Europe as indispensable allies in an era of geopolitical flux. The summit’s outcomes could catalyze investment surges, job creation, and innovation exchanges, scripting a bold new chapter in Indo-European partnership.