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The free trade agreement between India and the EU is 'truly a mother of all deals' as it brings together nearly one-fourth of the global economy, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Tuesday here. He said that the two sides offer a lot of synergies, which is important in today's world, where people are facing a lot of turmoil and challenges in global trade. "You represent an ageing population, we represent a young population. You represent goods, I represent demand. You represent technology, we represent the talent," he said here at the inauguration ceremony on the Biofach Show 2026. Over 100 exhibitors from about 20 Indian states are showcasing organic products in the four-day show. "These energies can actually come together, and that's what this FTA tries to do. I think we can not only try to make global value chains which are competitive across the world, which does serve both the Indian and the EU markets, but can also serve a large part of the world," Agrawal said. India
The India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is now undergoing "legal scrubbing" and both sides are committed to concluding the process swiftly for its signing and coming into force, possibly this year, EU Ambassador to India Herve Delphin has said. Speaking to PTI, he described the FTA as a "very substantial" deal rather than an "empty shell." "We are in the process of what we call technically, of the legal scrubbing, and to close the process of before the official signing and the entry into force. I think what I've noticed with during the summit is that both sides are really committed to have this process concluded as soon as possible, so that the FTA enters into force, possibly this year, which will be another achievement," the ambassador emphasized. He listed overlapping economic interests, complementarity, scale, diversification, and de-risking as key drivers. "From the European side, the EU member states, the Commission, and leadership, and on the Indian side, we saw the same ...
Iran speaker of parliament said Sunday that the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups. The comment by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf follows an EU agreement last week to list Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group over its part in the bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country. Qalibaf cited a 2019 law as authorization for the announcement. That law was passed after the US listed the Guard as a terrorist group and allows for reciprocal action by Iran against any nations that follow that decision. Qalibaf made the announcement as he and others wore Guard uniforms in parliament. Qalibaf was a commander in the Guard.
The India-EU free trade agreement is expected to benefit a wide range of domestic sectors and deepen India's trade engagement with one of the world's largest economic blocs, experts said. Negotiations for the agreement have been concluded and expected to come into force later this year. The experts said that the agreement announced on January 27 is set to significantly transform India's automotive sector by attracting foreign direct investment into its auto component industry and fostering deeper integration into global value chains. "The IndiaEU trade pact marks a significant step forward in strengthening market access and trade competitiveness," Sanjay Budhia, Chairman of CII's National Committee on Exports and Managing Director of Patton International Ltd, said. He added that the deal is expected to provide preferential access across a host of traded goods, creating meaningful opportunities for domestic businesses. "The agreement is likely to benefit multiple sectors and deepen
Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Banerjee said the India-EU free trade agreement was "a strategic alignment", sending a signal to Washington, amid the high tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration, that "we don't need the US as much as America thinks we do". He, however, cautioned that the much-touted pact, described as the "mother of all deals", would not automatically translate into broad-based gains unless India dramatically improves efficiency and logistics. In an interview with PTI, Banerjee said India was yet to fully understand the nature of American resistance under President Donald Trump's leadership, noting that the US had shown "limited interest" in bargaining with India despite repeated US claims of imminent agreements during the period of heightened trade tensions. "It is certainly a strategic alignment. It sends a signal to the US- from Europe and from India - that we don't need the US as much as the US thinks we do. That can be useful if the idea is to bring