(NEW DELHI) – The EU and India agreed Friday to intensify efforts towards a Free Trade Agreement at a summit in New Delhi marking 55 years of diplomatic relations between the world’s two largest democracies.
The EU was represented by Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk, while India was represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At the summit, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and strengthen the India-EU strategic partnership.
EU and India leaders expressed their shared commitment to strengthening the economic partnership between India and the EU. They noted ongoing efforts of both sides to re-engage towards relaunching negotiations for an India-EU broad based trade and investment agreement (BTIA).
“It is high time for a Free Trade Agreement between India and the EU,” said Mr Juncker: “Once the circumstances are right and only once the circumstances are right we will resume. Today’s Summit is an important step in the right direction and after hearing Prime Minister Modi I am confident we can move forward. Our chief negotiators will next sit down in November to chart a way forward,” he added.
The leaders welcomed the progress made towards implementing the India-EU agenda for action 2020. This is the roadmap for bilateral cooperation endorsed at the previous India-EU Summit.
The European Union and India issued a Joint Summit Statement. Joint statements on combatting terrorism; on clean energy and climate change; and on smart and sustainable urbanisation were also adopted. Leaders also took stock of the implementation of the comprehensive EU-India Agenda for Action 2020, endorsed at last year’s Summit.
Joint statement of the 14th EU-India summit, New Delhi, 6 October 2017
