
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is being received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the national flag hoisting at Kartavya Path on the occasion of the 77th Republic Day celebrations, in New Delhi on January 26, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
India and the European Union have completed negotiations on a free trade agreement, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal confirmed on Monday (January 26, 2026). He said that the deal would be announced by the leaders of India and the EU on Tuesday (January 27, 2026).
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has recently referred to the FTA as the “mother of all deals”.
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Mr. Agrawal said that the FTA was a “balanced, forward-looking deal that would propel trade and deeper economic integration between the two sides”.
Separately, sources in the Commerce Ministry said that negotiations concluded on Friday (January 23, 2026) and that the deal was approved by both sides on Saturday (January 24, 2026).
“Negotiations on the deal are completed. The leaders of both sides will tomorrow sign a document signifying the closure of negotiations,” Mr. Agrawal said on Monday (January 26, 2026). “The legal scrubbing of the language will take place after this.”
Sources also said that this would be “one of the biggest” bilateral deals in the world since the countries in the EU acts as a single customs bloc, unlike other groupings such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in which each country sets its own customs duties.
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India saw a total merchandise trade with the EU worth $136.5 billion in the financial year 2024-25, up 0.9% over the previous year. However, within this, India’s exports to the grouping contracted 0.1% while imports grew 2.2%.
Sources say that the FTA would help Indian exporters rebalance this trade as it entails several concessions for Indian goods.
Published – January 26, 2026 08:37 pm IST
