Business · India Bureau
India-EU free trade agreement set for December signing, 2027 implementation
India and the European Union are on track to finalize their long-awaited free trade agreement by year-end, with the pact expected to come into force by mid-2027, according to the EU's newly appointed ambassador to India. The two sides are simultaneously advancing negotiations on a bilateral investment protection framework to complement the trade deal.
LSN India ·
The India-EU free trade agreement has entered its final phase, with both parties working toward a December signing as negotiations draw to a close, Jean-Éric Paquet, the European Union's ambassador to India, said in recent comments. Following formal signature, the agreement is projected to take effect by the middle of 2027, pending ratification procedures on both sides.
In parallel with the trade accord, India and the EU are developing a companion bilateral investment protection agreement designed to strengthen investor safeguards and complement the broader trade framework. This dual-track approach aims to create a comprehensive economic partnership that addresses both market access and investment security concerns.
The free trade agreement represents a significant milestone in India-EU relations, covering goods, services, intellectual property, and government procurement among other areas. The deal has been under negotiation for several years, reflecting the complexity of aligning regulatory standards and commercial interests between the two sides.
The timeline outlined by Ambassador Paquet indicates that ratification processes in both India and the EU will be completed within the coming months following the December signing. Both governments are expected to move expeditiously through their respective legislative procedures to enable the mid-2027 implementation date.