Lawmakers across party lines pressed the government for an early conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and address critical bottlenecks in trade, technology cooperation and student mobility during a high-level parliamentary advisory committee meeting on Saturday, people aware of the developments said on Sunday.
During the meeting, which was chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, MPs were informed that negotiations on the India-EU FTA – described as the “mother of all deals” – are at an advanced stage. While the government aims to finalize the agreement within the year, senior Foreign Office officials noted that EU ratification is a longer process and is expected to reach the European Parliament by mid-2026. They added that once concluded, the trade-specific components of the agreement will be ratified at EU level and will not require approval by individual member states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on January 27 jointly announced the conclusion of a free trade agreement at the 16th India-EU summit in New Delhi. The two sides are now making their efforts to finalize the legal text and sign the deal by the end of 2026.
At the meeting, MPs also raised major concerns about the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism, which came into effect last January, and its potential impact on Indian exports, especially steel. Members also cited concerns about import quotas and compliance costs that could hurt Indian industry.
“The committee was briefed on the progress made under the proposed India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) framework, which focuses on AI and semiconductors. The MPs stressed that cooperation should go beyond MoUs and translate into tangible outcomes, including transfer of technical know-how and investments to set up semiconductor manufacturing units in India. The European side was receptive to the idea of leveraging India’s skilled IT workforce along with European capital and technology,” said one of the MPs present at the conference. meeting.
Despite the new skills mobility agreement, lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with the current delays in the issuance of Schengen visas and restrictive student visa regimes in some European countries.
Members cited specific cases in France and Poland, where Indian students faced travel restrictions and short-stay visas during multi-year programmes. They urged the government to replicate Germany’s regulated ecosystem, which has successfully integrated Indian healthcare and engineering professionals, in the rest of the EU.
Another MP said the discussions also discussed India-US trade relations, with some questioning US officials’ repeated public statements on India’s purchases of Russian oil.
“India’s position is guided by the joint Indo-US statement, which does not mention Russian oil, and stressed that New Delhi will continue to follow its ‘prudent’ energy policy. The data was cited to show that India’s imports of Russian crude, which rose from about 4% three years ago to nearly 29%, are expected to decline,” the officials responded.
Agricultural concerns featured prominently as MPs called for a separate session with the Minister of Agriculture to address farmers’ concerns about falling cotton and soybean prices. Officials stressed that agricultural imports under trade agreements were minimal, accounting for about 1%, but MPs argued that perceptions among farmers needed to be addressed more proactively.
On geopolitical aspects, ministry officials stressed India’s commitment to the ‘Global South’ or South-South approach and the need to maintain strategic balance amid tensions in West Asia. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor was also discussed, with members noting slow progress since its announcement and officials noting that momentum is now building. Officials added that the deliberations will feed into existing political positions, even as lawmakers urge a faster resolution of concerns related to trade, mobility and agriculture.
The MPs present in the meeting included Manish Tiwari, Jaya Bachchan, Aparajita Sarangi, Mukul Wasnik and Sujit Kumar.
