- Negotiations
The European Union and India launched negotiations on a bilateral free trade and investment agreement in June 2007. However, between the governments, a number of controversies have been plaguing the talks. Delhi wants Brussels to relax its stringent food safety criteria which penalise Indian farm and fishery exports and to make it easier for Indian professionals to work in the EU. Europe is primarily out to win major openings of India’s services sector and broad liberalisation of foreign investment, while India does not want to discuss allowing European firms to compete in India’s government procurement market.
Indian social movements, including fisherfolk and labour unions, people living with HIV/AIDS and other health activists have been mobilizing against the FTA. International actions and campaigns have particularly targeted the proposed intellectual property provisions of the agreement, and the impact of the FTA on access to medicines.
last update: May 2012
Photo: MSF
20-Apr-2026
Tech Policy
The India–EU FTA’s formulation of source‑code and algorithmic provisions appears to narrow India’s policy authority, as it shifts the balance towards post‑incident enforcement and away from proactive oversight, at a time when India’s scale and diversity require the opposite.
17-Apr-2026
Outlook Business
The India-EU Free Trade Agreement, exposes Indian manufacturers to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which could impose over $1.1 billion in annual costs by 2028. Despite a €500 million EU decarbonisation fund, Indian SMEs face a major challenge due to lack of granular emissions data and no special exemptions under CBAM.
6-Mar-2026
Médecins Sans Frontières
Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) notes positively that the intellectual Property (IP) chapter of this trade deal largely preserves India’s public health safeguards and does not include any harmful provisions that go beyond the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS agreement, such as data exclusivity or patent term extensions.
2-Mar-2026
European Commission
2-Mar-2026
The Week
The deal points to creating a secure digital trade environment by promoting paperless transactions and cyber-security .
2-Mar-2026
Financial Express
The two sides plan to grant each other MFN status for five years once the FTA goes into effect.
2-Mar-2026
Business Today
No exemption from CBAM for India, separate chapter on model mediation procedures, services, review after five years.
24-Feb-2026
The Economic Times
The EU-India FTA promises cheaper drugs and medical devices, but India’s regulatory framework may hinder patient benefits. Current pricing mechanisms, including market-based ceiling prices and loopholes for fixed-dose combinations, prevent cost reductions from reflecting in retail prices. An urgent overhaul of drug pricing and an independent regulator for procedures are needed to ensure affordability and realize the FTA’s full potential.
9-Feb-2026
Counter Currents
Despite of EU - India FTA rhetoric of partnership, equality, and shared values, the deal reflects a deep power imbalance rooted in a modern form of colonialism—regulatory imperialism. This agreement is not as a true partnership but as a mechanism of neo-colonial control—one that transforms trade into a tool of discipline, not development.
30-Jan-2026
European Policy Centre
Its conclusion has been driven in large part by shifting geopolitical pressures from Washington and Beijing, which have forced both Brussels and New Delhi to reassess their strategic positioning.
