New Delhi: Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha C. P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday described the proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as the 'Mother of all deals' and expressed hope that it would be signed this year. He made the remarks while meeting a delegation of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), led by David McAllister, at Parliament House in New Delhi, and sought the European Parliament's support for the agreement's fruition.

Source: The Hona News (Rajya Sabha / PIB release)

Highlighting the scale of the partnership, Radhakrishnan said India and the European Union together represent a combined market of around USD 25 trillion — yaani about 25,000 billion dollars — and nearly two billion people. He noted that India-EU relations have made remarkable progress across several sectors in recent years and thanked the leadership of both sides for advancing the partnership.

Source: India Education Diary (official release)

USD 25 trillionCombined India-EU market cited by Radhakrishnan
Nearly 2 billionCombined population of India and the EU
16thIndia-EU Summit whose state visit he recalled as giving the partnership momentum

Two Largest Democracies, a Shared Multipolar Interest

Radhakrishnan said India and the European Union, as the two largest democracies and open market economies with diverse and pluralistic societies, share a common interest in shaping a resilient multipolar global order. He highlighted the institutional linkages built since the 2025 visit of the College of Commissioners, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen under a whole-of-government approach, and recalled that the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission attended the Republic Day celebrations as Guests of Honour, with their state visit for the 16th India-EU Summit providing tremendous momentum to the partnership.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman also appreciated the role of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in high-level strategic coordination between the two sides. The AFET delegation's visit to India was announced by the European Parliament ahead of the trip, with meetings scheduled with India's External Affairs Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker and other parliamentarians, and talks focused on the EU-India strategic agenda, security and defence cooperation and shared geopolitical challenges.

Source: European Parliament press room

For Indian exporters — and for Punjab's manufacturers, farmers and the large Punjabi diaspora living and working across Europe — the pace of the FTA matters directly: a signed agreement still needs the European Parliament's support, which is exactly what the Vice-President asked the visiting delegation for on Wednesday. (Sources: Rajya Sabha / PIB release as reported by The Hona News and India Education Diary; European Parliament press room)