Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Brussels in December to sign the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), European Council President Antonio Costa said on Thursday. The visit aims to strengthen economic ties between India and the EU.
“Prime Minister Modi will come in December to sign the deal,” Costa said at an event organised by the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations in Canada.
The visit may take place shortly before European leaders meet in Brussels on December 17. Costa is in Montreal for a two-day EU-Canada summit to strengthen bilateral ties.
India and the EU concluded FTA negotiations earlier this year. The agreement could create a market of more than two billion people, representing nearly a quarter of the global economy.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said last week that both sides could implement the agreement within four to five months of signing it.
PM Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the conclusion of the FTA during the European leaders’ visit to India. The agreement marks a major step in India-EU economic relations.
India ranks as the world’s fourth-largest economy, while the EU holds the second position. Together, they account for around 25 per cent of global GDP and one-third of global trade.
Bilateral trade in goods reached Rs 11.5 lakh crore ($136.54 billion) in 2024-25. India exported goods worth Rs 6.4 lakh crore ($75.85 billion) and imported goods worth Rs 5.1 lakh crore ($60.68 billion). Trade in services reached Rs 7.2 lakh crore ($83.10 billion) in 2024.
The FTA will give preferential EU market access to over 99 per cent of Indian exports by value. It will support Make in India, expand services trade and improve opportunities for Indian professionals.
The agreement aims to attract investment, improve market access and create business opportunities across both economies.
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