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  1. Negotiations

EU-India


The European Union and India launched negotiations on a bilateral free trade and investment agreement in June 2007. However, between the governments, a number of controversies have been plaguing the talks. Delhi wants Brussels to relax its stringent food safety criteria which penalise Indian farm and fishery exports and to make it easier for Indian professionals to work in the EU. Europe is primarily out to win major openings of India’s services sector and broad liberalisation of foreign investment, while India does not want to discuss allowing European firms to compete in India’s government procurement market.

Indian social movements, including fisherfolk and labour unions, people living with HIV/AIDS and other health activists have been mobilizing against the FTA. International actions and campaigns have particularly targeted the proposed intellectual property provisions of the agreement, and the impact of the FTA on access to medicines.

last update: May 2012
Photo: MSF

How India’s new free trade agreement with the EU limits AI governance
20-Apr-2026     Tech Policy
The India–EU FTA’s formulation of source‑code and algorithmic provisions appears to narrow India’s policy authority, as it shifts the balance towards post‑incident enforcement and away from proactive oversight, at a time when India’s scale and diversity require the opposite.
How EU's CBAM expansion is adding new challenges for India despite the FTA
17-Apr-2026     Outlook Business
The India-EU Free Trade Agreement, exposes Indian manufacturers to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which could impose over $1.1 billion in annual costs by 2028. Despite a €500 million EU decarbonisation fund, Indian SMEs face a major challenge due to lack of granular emissions data and no special exemptions under CBAM.
The promise of EU-India FTA for Indian patients: A case for price regulation
24-Feb-2026     The Economic Times
The EU-India FTA promises cheaper drugs and medical devices, but India's regulatory framework may hinder patient benefits. Current pricing mechanisms, including market-based ceiling prices and loopholes for fixed-dose combinations, prevent cost reductions from reflecting in retail prices. An urgent overhaul of drug pricing and an independent regulator for procedures are needed to ensure affordability and realize the FTA's full potential.
EU-India free trade agreement: Neo-colonialism without colonies
9-Feb-2026     Counter Currents
Despite of EU - India FTA rhetoric of partnership, equality, and shared values, the deal reflects a deep power imbalance rooted in a modern form of colonialism—regulatory imperialism. This agreement is not as a true partnership but as a mechanism of neo-colonial control—one that transforms trade into a tool of discipline, not development.
The mother of all deals: why geopolitics finally sealed the EU–India FTA
30-Jan-2026     European Policy Centre
Its conclusion has been driven in large part by shifting geopolitical pressures from Washington and Beijing, which have forced both Brussels and New Delhi to reassess their strategic positioning.
Public health group demands release and discussion on full text of India-EU FTA
28-Jan-2026     Pharmabiz
The Working Group points out that the European Commission's press release states the agreement provides for a high level of protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property rights, including copyright, trademarks, designs, trade secrets and plant variety rights.
EU-India trade deal leaves bloc's carbon border tariff intact
28-Jan-2026     Reuters
A landmark trade deal struck by India and the European Union on Tuesday will not trigger any changes to the bloc's carbon border tariff, EU officials said, despite India's concerns over the scheme.
The EU is seeking new trade partnerships. Here’s why
28-Jan-2026     AP
The free trade agreement between the European Union and India underscores the EU’s efforts to ink new global partnerships at a time when the Trump administration has rattled the region’s capitals which have long relied on a stable relationship with Washington on trade, defense and diplomacy.
India–EU free trade agreement finalised. Can it accelerate an India-US trade deal?
28-Jan-2026     Live Mint
The India-EU free trade agreement, finalised after nearly two decades. This milestone has shifted focus to the long-stalled India-US trade deal, with hopes that the EU agreement may pressure the US to accelerate talks, despite ongoing disagreements over agriculture, digital trade, and India’s imports of Russian oil.
EU inks 'mother of all deals' with India trade agreement amid global turmoil
27-Jan-2026     Euronews
The EU Commission sealed a free-trade agreement with India cutting tariffs on EU goods while excluding agriculture to appease Indian authorities. Europe’s car industry is set to be among the biggest beneficiaries of the agreement.