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India-EU FTA: Vice-President seeks European Parliament support to sign the deal this year

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The India-EU FTA should be signed this year, Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan told a visiting European Parliament delegation in New Delhi on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, seeking the Parliament’s support for the deal, according to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

India-EU FTA: Photograph released by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat of the meeting at Parliament House
Photograph released by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat of the meeting at Parliament House Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

European Parliament delegation at Parliament House

Radhakrishnan met members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), led by David McAllister, at Parliament House. He said India-EU relations had made remarkable progress in recent years across many sectors and thanked the leadership on both sides. As the two largest democracies and open market economies with diverse and pluralistic societies, India and the EU share a common interest in shaping a resilient multipolar world order, he said. He added that institutional links set up since the College of Commissioners visited India in 2025, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, had produced fruitful results. He thanked the leadership of both sides for taking the relationship forward. The Rajya Sabha is the upper house of India’s Parliament, and the Vice-President serves as its ex-officio Chairman.

Key Facts

  • Meeting: 28 Oct 2026, Parliament House, New Delhi
  • Delegation: European Parliament AFET, led by David McAllister
  • Combined market: about USD 25 trillion
  • Population covered: nearly two billion
  • Research: Horizon Europe association talks concluded

“Mother of all deals”

— Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan on the proposed India-EU free trade agreement

India-EU FTA: the "mother of all deals" free trade agreement

Radhakrishnan recalled that the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission attended Republic Day celebrations as Guests of Honour, and that their state visit for the 16th India-EU Summit gave the partnership strong momentum. On trade and investment, he said India and the EU together represent a combined market of about USD 25 trillion and nearly two billion people. Calling the proposed free trade agreement the “mother of all deals”, he expressed hope that it would be signed this year and sought the European Parliament’s support in seeing it through. The secretariat’s release did not give a date for signing. The meeting was part of the delegation’s visit to New Delhi. Under EU rules, trade agreements need the consent of the European Parliament before they can take effect. TrendDesh will update this report if a signing date is announced.

Technology council and Horizon Europe

On technology and research, Radhakrishnan praised the India-EU Trade and Technology Council for its role in high-level strategic coordination. He also welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on India’s association with Horizon Europe, the EU’s main research and innovation programme. During the meeting he expressed condolences over the train accident in Spain on Wednesday. Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Kumar Jha, Surendra Singh Nagar, Amar Pal Maurya and P T Usha, who head India’s parliamentary friendship groups with Germany and Poland, also attended. Horizon Europe is the EU’s research and innovation funding programme for 2021 to 2027.

Why It Matters: An India-EU trade deal would cut barriers for exporters and investors in one of India's largest trading partnerships, and the European Parliament's backing matters for it to take effect.

Also on TrendDesh: BRICS Parliamentary Forum ends with joint declaration backing UNSC reform and anti-terror stance · Gyan Bharatam: India and National Library of France sign pact to digitise Indic manuscripts

Source: PIB: Vice-President meets European Parliament delegation · European Parliament: Committee on Foreign Affairs · European Commission: EU-India trade

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