India-EU FTA signing targeted for December 17–18 during PM Modi’s expected Brussels visit - Report

The European Commission has reportedly urged the Council of the European Union, which represents the bloc’s 27 member states, to approve the FTA through a fast-track procedure.

The European Union and India are reportedly working to meet a December deadline for signing their Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with the European Commission proposing a fast-track procedure to expedite approval of the pact.

The two sides are aiming to sign the agreement around December 17 or 18 in Brussels during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit, according to the Hindustan Times report which cited people familiar with the matter.

PM Modi is expected to travel to Brussels while returning from a proposed G20 meeting in Miami, the news outlet cited the people.

EU proposes fast-track approval to avoid delay

The European Commission has urged the Council of the European Union, which represents the bloc’s 27 member states, to approve the FTA through a fast-track procedure proposed by EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, HT reported.

Under the proposal, the Commission has suggested completing the legal process using the original English version of the agreement instead of waiting for translations into all 24 official EU languages. The translation process could delay ratification by more than a year, the people told HT.

The Council’s approval would allow India and the EU to proceed with signing the agreement, which was finalised at the political level on January 27, 2026, according to the report.

Indian officials step up engagement with EU

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal is expected to visit Brussels to address procedural issues related to the agreement, HT reported. His visit follows Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s tour of Germany and the Netherlands from October 22 to 27.

During his visit to Germany, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche and Levin Holle, an economic and financial policy adviser at the German Federal Chancellery.

Separately, a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by its chair David McAllister, is scheduled to visit New Delhi from October 26 to 28. The visit will be the committee’s first official trip to India under the European Parliament’s current mandate.

India-EU FTA: ‘Mother of all deals’

The negotiations for the FTA were concluded at the political level on January 27, 2026, during the 16th India-EU Summit in New Delhi, according to a European Parliament research document dated September 20 cited by HT.

The document described the agreement as the “mother of all deals” and said it would create the world’s largest free trade zone, covering a quarter of the global population and accounting for 25% of global GDP.

India-EU trade: Goods, services and investment

India is the EU’s ninth-largest trading partner in goods and its sixth-largest partner in services, according to European Commission data cited in the report.

Bilateral trade in goods between India and the EU stood at €118 billion in 2025. India’s key exports to the bloc include machinery and appliances, chemicals, textiles, metals and petroleum products.

EU exports to India are dominated by industrial products, including machinery and appliances, transport equipment and chemicals.

Trade in services between the two sides amounted to €67 billion in 2025. EU exports of services to India totalled €29.2 billion, while imports from India stood at €37.8 billion, according to the data.

In 2024, the EU’s foreign direct investment (FDI) stock in India stood at €132.8 billion, compared with India’s FDI stock in the EU of €13.7 billion.

The EU comprises 27 countries and has a combined economy of approximately $23 trillion, making it a significant potential market for Indian exporters.