“This free trade agreement will strengthen confidence of investors, business in India,” Mr Modi said in remarks at an energy event. He added that the pact will strengthen trade and global supply chains while boosting India’s manufacturing and services sectors. Just days earlier, the EU finally polished off a separate, long-gestating trade deal with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries — another pact meant to help the EU pivot away from the US and China. Bilateral trade between the EU and India stood at $136.5bn in India’s fiscal year through March 2025, with the EU making up more than 17% of India’s total exports, official data showed. The EU and India are also growing closer on the defense front, recently unveiling a new security partnership.

Source: Irish Examiner January 27, 2026 08:00 UTC