🇮🇳🇩🇪 Continuing the series setting the stage, this post highlights key facts about 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲, an essential driver of prosperity for both countries, and how a 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗙𝗧𝗔) between India and the EU can further boost bilateral trade between India and Germany. In this post, I focus only on trade in goods, not services. (Link to the legacy documents regarding FTA is in the comments).

🇮🇳🇪🇺 The Prime Minister of India, 𝗠𝗿. 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶, and the President of the European Commission, 𝗠𝗿𝘀. 𝗨𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝘆𝗲𝗻, announced on February 28, 2025, that the target is to conclude an FTA between India and the EU by the 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. This shows that there is 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹, but progress tends to slow down when that will is 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

🧭 Nevertheless, having the discussions between India and the EU on FTA spanning now 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀, in my opinion, 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽-𝗯𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵, deferring more complex issues, could help accelerate the process

🤔 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸? Why do free trade agreements, despite being high-priority instruments in a globalized world, still take so long to conclude?

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🕔 I would schedule my posts for 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝟲 𝗣𝗠 (𝗖𝗘𝗧), though the timing may occasionally vary.