India and EU Target December Signing for Free Trade Agreement

India and the European Union are working to finalize a Free Trade Agreement by a December deadline, targeting a signing date of December 17 or 18 in Brussels. The event is intended to coincide with an expected visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The agreement, which reached political finalization on January 27, 2026, is described as the mother of all deals and would establish the world's largest free trade zone, encompassing 25% of global GDP and population.

To prevent translation delays across 24 official languages, the European Commission has proposed a fast-track procedure to the Council of the European Union. This proposal suggests completing the legal process using the original English text to expedite the timeline. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič laid out the details of this accelerated approval process.

Diplomatic activity has intensified to secure the deal. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently toured Germany and the Netherlands to promote the agreement's benefits. Additionally, a delegation from the EU Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by David McAllister, is scheduled to visit New Delhi to further coordinate the final steps.