European Union

India-EU FTA leaves carbon tax intact, talks to address concerns: Official

The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will not see any exceptions despite the concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but both sides have committed to technical discussions to find the best way forward, a senior German environment ministry official said here. Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, emphasised that the CBAM is not targeted against any specific country but serves as a necessary protective measure once carbon pricing is introduced domestically in the EU. "CBAM is not against anyone. Once you introduce carbon pricing, you need to have some kind of protection," Flasbarth told PTI Videos on Wednesday during his ongoing visit to India, where he held discussions with officials from the Ministries of New and Renewable Energy, Power, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change. "With the carbon pricing, we need to do something, and that is

Report flags need for hypersonic response against Russia's missile defences

The A-235 anti-ballistic missile system and S-500 air defence systems around the capital have advanced to the point where they could keep UK and French nuclear warheads from getting through

EU hits pause on US trade deal after Trump announces 15% global tariff

Frustrated European officials pushed Monday for clarification on how US President Donald Trump's declaration of a 15 per cent global tax on imports would affect the trade deal they struck with Trump this summer as EU legislators hit pause on the deal's ratification until they get clarity. The European Parliament's trade committee postponed a committee vote on ratification after Trump said he would impose the new tariff, after the US Supreme Court struck down his use of an emergency powers law to set new import taxes. Trump then turned to another section of trade law to justify his imposition of the 15 per cent global rate, which take effect Tuesday. The EU position is expressed in five words: "A deal is a deal," said commission spokesman Olof Gill. "So now we are simply saying to the US, it is up to you to clearly show to us what path you are taking to honor the agreement." The US-EU deal called for a 15 per cent cap on tariffs on most European goods imports, while tariffs on US ...

Govt will fund major EU compliance costs for SMEs, says Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal says the government will fund key compliance costs for small exporters needing EU approvals under CBAM and REACH, as India expands trade deals and targets $2 trn exports

EU pauses work on US trade deal as Trump's tariffs stir uncertainty

Trump moved rapidly over the weekend to replace those levies. But he has now applied a 15 percent tariff on nations around the world

EU diplomats to meet 'Board of Peace' director over Gaza's future

The European Union's top diplomats are set to meet Monday with the director of the Board of Peace in Brussels after a shaky and controversial embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to secure and rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, will meet the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. The EU diplomats are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and fresh sanctions on Russia. Just across the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East, the EU has deep links to Israel and the Palestinians. It now plays a crucial oversight role at the Rafah border crossing, and is the top donor to the Palestinian Authority. The question of whether to work with the Trump-led board has split national capitals from Nicosia to Copenhagen. The EU is supportive of the United Nations' mandate in Gaza. EU members Hungary and Bulgaria are fu

Markets need time to recalibrate to new STT regime: Pankaj Pandey

ICICI Securities' Pankaj Pandey says markets may need time to adjust to the new STT regime but sees strong FY27 earnings and midcap outperformance

EU-India FTA opens doors to trade, AI, says Austria's State Secretary

The landmark EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a transformative win-win pact that offers immense opportunities in trade, artificial intelligence (AI) and resilient supply chains, Austria's State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery Alexander Proll has said. In an interview with PTI Videos, Proll has described the EU-India FTA as the "mother of all deals" that stands to benefit nearly 200 crore people and create one of the world's largest free trade zones. "Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi visited Austria in 2024 because of 75 years of the diplomatic relationship and now, we have the free-trade agreement. It is the mother of all deals. I think it is a win-win situation for the whole European Union and India," Proll said. The FTA, finalised after years of negotiations re-launched in 2022, eliminates or reduces tariffs on 96.6 per cent of EU exports to India by value and 99.5 per cent of Indian exports to the EU by trade value. Proll highlighted AI as a key future area of ...

For Europe Inc, US tariff relief brings unexpected trade uncertainty

Many firms cautioned that Trump could pursue other avenues to impose similar tariffs, reducing the benefit of lower levies, while tariff refunds are likely to be difficult to obtain

EU reviews US Supreme Court decision striking down Trump's tariffs

"We take note of the ruling by the US Supreme Court and are analysing it carefully," said the spokesperson

India-EU trade pact moves from promise to reality but challenges persist

India-EU FTA signals a strategic shift toward export-led growth, but without deeper trade, tariff and investment reforms, its full economic potential may remain unrealised

MEA, EU hold state engagement program with Assam government on migration

The CDMM project is being implemented by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs, five European countries said Saturday. The foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analysis of samples taken from Navalny's body "conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine." It is a neurotoxin found in the skin of dart frogs in South America that is not found naturally in Russia, they said. A joint statement said: "Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison." The five countries said they were reporting Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The announcement came as Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany as the second anniversary of Navalny's death approaches. Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests

Limiting access to global technology could backfire on EU, warns Google

Google has warned that Europe's push to reduce reliance on foreign tech could slow innovation and growth, urging the EU to stay open to global digital tools while building its own capabilities

Europe rethinks nuclear weapons after Trump delivers reality check

Europe has been fighting to keep hostile US in Nato while countries race to rearm and now for first time since Cold War, European capitals are discussing how to develop their own nuclear deterrent

EU unveils plan to restructure economy amid US, Russia, China pressure

European Union leaders have broadly agreed on a plan to restructure the 27-nation bloc's economy to make it more competitive as they face antagonism from US President Donald Trump, strong-arm tactics from China and hybrid threats blamed on Russia. Meeting in a Belgian castle on Thursday, the EU leaders agreed an "action plan" with a strict timeline for the economic restructuring, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "The pressure and the sense of urgency is enormous, and that can move mountains," she said. The plan, to be presented formally in March, would include measures to coordinate upgrading energy grids, deepen financial integration and loosen merger regulations to allow European firms to grow to better compete globally, she said. "We need European champions," von der Leyen said. European Council President Antonio Costa described the meeting as a "real game changer" as leaders threw their weight behind plans to further integrate and simplify the bloc's ...

Switzerland to vote in June on plan to cap population at 10 mn: Here's why

Swiss voters will decide in June whether to cap the country's population at 10 million, a move that could tighten immigration rules and even may strain Switzerland's key economic ties with the EU

EU leaders meet to counter pressure from Russia, China, and Trump

Leaders from across the European Union are meeting Thursday in a Belgian castle as the 27-nation bloc faces antagonism from US President Donald Trump, strong-arm economic tactics from China and hybrid threats from Russia - challenges that have prompted a rethink of Europe's approach to diplomacy and trade. "We all know we must change course, and we all know the direction," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told a meeting with some European leaders on Wednesday. "Yet it sometimes feels like we're standing on the bridge of the ship staring at the horizon without being able to touch the helm." But there are competing visions of how the EU must change. Thursday's meeting is to shape proposals for another summit in late March. As leaders are set to walk across a drawbridge to the 16th-century Alden Biesen castle, the fault lines in the battle for Europe's future are becoming clear. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lead a wing of the bloc call

Free trade agreement lifts hopes of India-EU organic food traders

Organic food traders from India and the European Union are bullish on the recently announced free trade agreement, saying it will expand market access on both sides and create significant opportunities for the sector. About 2,200 players from the sustainable food sector, including over 100 from India, are exhibiting their products at the four-day BIOFACH 2026, which is the world's leading trade fair for organic food, at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg. The fair comes at an opportune time, with India and the 27-nation European Union announcing the conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement on January 27 after nearly two decades of talks. It is likely to be signed and implemented in about a year. According to experts from the organic food sector, the agreement opens up USD 60 billion worth of opportunities for Indian organic product exporters in the EU. The agreement also provides a market of 140 crore consumers to the EU countries. Under the pact, both sides will eliminat

India-EU trade deal brings together one-fourth of world economy: Comm Secy

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