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India-EU
With India and the EU setting the year-end deadline to conclude a free trade agreement, teams from both sides held discussions on Saturday to accelerate efforts towards a balanced and mutually beneficial pact. The meeting was held between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in Mumbai along with officials from both sides. "Our discussions focused on accelerating efforts towards a balanced and mutually beneficial free trade agreement. Looking forward to deepening economic ties and fostering a prosperous India-EU partnership," Goyal said in a post on X. On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to seal a much-awaited free trade deal by this year amid rising concerns over US President Donald Trump's policy on tariffs. The two sides are scheduled to hold the tenth round of negotiations for the FTA from March 10-14 in Brussels. Further strengthening
India and the EU are eyeing to seal by this year a free trade deal that would be the largest of its kind globally, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday, asserting that the two sides must take the strategic ties to the "next level" to effectively navigate geopolitical challenges. In a keynote address at a think-tank, Von der Leyen announced that the European Union is exploring a future 'Security and Defence Partnership' with India in the mould of the pacts it has with Japan and South Korea. The top European leader explained how the world is fraught with "danger" and that the modern version of great power competition is an opportunity for Europe and India to "reimagine" their partnership. Her comments came amid increasing strain in ties between the European Union and the US over trade and tariff as well as on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "Over the last 30 years we have done a lot together. But in truth we have only been scratching the surface of the ...
India should push for inclusion of protective provisions in its proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union to safeguard its interests against the EU's carbon tax, think tank GTRI said on Thursday. The EU has decided to impose Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), or carbon tax, which will come into effect from January 1, 2026. It would mainly impact seven carbon-intensive sectors, including steel, cement, fertiliser, aluminium and hydrocarbon products. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that if protective language is not included in the agreement, post FTA, EU goods will enter India duty-free, while Indian steel and aluminum could face high carbon charges under CBAM when exported to the EU. "Since CBAM imposes tariffs based on production methods, it violates WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules. India must push for protective language in the FTA to address this issue," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said. The suggestions came at a time when Europea
India and the European Union (EU) have finalised an extensive roadmap for the green hydrogen sector that includes development of infrastructure, technology cooperation and boosting supply chains. The two sides deliberated on ways to enhance cooperation in the sector at the 10th meeting of the India-EU Energy Panel held on Thursday in Brussels. At the meeting, a "work plan" was adopted for the third phase of the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership 2025-28, which will focus on deeper cooperation in five priority areas, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The priority areas are green hydrogen, offshore wind energy, regional connectivity, electricity market integration and smart grids, energy efficiency, and energy and climate diplomacy. "The two sides have set out an extensive agenda for green hydrogen cooperation, which includes assessing infrastructure development feasibility, regulatory and technology cooperation, and strengthening of supply chains," the
Bulgaria's geographical position as the first member-country connecting the European Union (EU) with India gives it the added advantage of playing an important role in fostering closer ties with the 27-member economic bloc, according to a senior Bulgarian parliamentarian and former foreign minister. Kristian Vigenin, Deputy Chair of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and Chair of the Bulgaria-India Friendship Group in the Bulgarian Parliament is expected to be among the newly-elected members of the European Parliament (MEPs) after the results of the EU-wide elections are officially declared later this week. In his future role, the Vice-Speaker of Bulgaria's National Assembly said he wants to champion greater India-EU parliamentary cooperation that has slowed down due to "stresses in the system" of the COVID pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although the size of India and Bulgaria are not comparable, I believe that we need to do more as a country which is part of the EU to .