Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha C. P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday described the proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as the ‘Mother of all deals’ and expressed hope that it would be signed this year. He sought the European Parliament’s support for its fruition during a meeting with a delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), led by David McAllister, at Parliament House, New Delhi.
Highlighting the economic potential of the partnership, Radhakrishnan said India and the European Union together represent a combined market of around USD 25 trillion and nearly two billion people. He noted that India-EU relations had made remarkable progress across several sectors in recent years and thanked the leadership of both sides for advancing the partnership.
Shared Commitment to a Multipolar Global Order
Radhakrishnan said India and the European Union, as the two largest democracies and open market economies with diverse and pluralistic societies, share a common interest in shaping a resilient multipolar global order.
He highlighted that institutional linkages established since the 2025 visit of the College of Commissioners, led by President Ursula von der Leyen under a whole-of-government approach, had yielded fruitful results.
Recalling high-level engagements, he noted that the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission attended the Republic Day celebrations as Guests of Honour. Their state visit for the 16th India-EU Summit had provided tremendous momentum to the partnership.
India-EU TTC’s Role in strategic coordination
The Rajya Sabha Chairman appreciated the significant role of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in high-level strategic coordination.
He also expressed satisfaction over the conclusion of negotiations on India’s association with the prestigious Horizon Europe programme.
Condolences Over Spain Train Accident
During the meeting, Radhakrishnan expressed his deepest condolences over the tragic train accident in Spain on Wednesday.
Members of the Rajya Sabha Sanjay Kumar Jha (President, India-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Group), Surendra Singh Nagar (President, India-Poland Parliamentary Friendship Group), Amar Pal Maurya (President, India-Poland Parliamentary Friendship Group) and P.T. Usha (President, India-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Group) also attended the meeting.
-PIB Inputs
