VP Radhakrishnan hopes India-EU trade deal is signed this year, seeks European Parliament's support
New Delhi/IBNS: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said he hopes the India-EU Free Trade Agreement will be signed this year and asked a European Parliament delegation for its support.
Radhakrishnan, who is also Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, met a delegation of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) led by David McAllister at Parliament House, according to a release from the Press Information Bureau.
He said India-EU relations have progressed remarkably in recent years across a range of sectors and thanked the leaders on both sides for driving them forward.
Radhakrishnan called the proposed agreement the "Mother of all deals" and said India and the EU together represent a market of around $25 trillion and nearly two billion people.
He said he hoped the agreement would be signed this year and asked for the European Parliament's help in bringing it about, the release said.
Shared interests
Radhakrishnan described India and the EU as the two largest democracies and open market economies, with diverse societies, and said they share an interest in a resilient multipolar world order.
He said institutional links built since the 2025 visit of the College of Commissioners, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, had delivered results.
He also recalled that the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission were Guests of Honour at the Republic Day celebrations, and that their state visit for the 16th India-EU Summit gave the partnership strong momentum.
Technology and research
Radhakrishnan praised the India-EU Trade and Technology Council for its role in high-level strategic coordination.
He also said he was satisfied that negotiations on India's association with the Horizon Europe research programme had concluded.
Radhakrishnan also expressed condolences over a train accident in Spain on Wednesday, the release said.
Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Kumar Jha, Surendra Singh Nagar, Amar Pal Maurya and P. T. Usha also attended the meeting.
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