German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann affirms India and EU’s commitment to finalize a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by year-end; experts stress urgency in expanding global business ties.
New Delhi, April 13: India and the European Union are intensifying efforts to negotiate a long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of 2025, according to German Ambassador to India and Bhutan, Philipp Ackermann. Speaking at the 9th Carnegie Global Tech Summit during the session ‘Sambhavna: Next is What?’, Ackermann emphasized the strategic shift and growing economic partnership between Europe and India.
“This is the time where those who believe in global and free trade must join hands. We should sit together and figure out what is possible through the FTA,” he said.
Highlighting a recent diplomatic milestone, Ackermann referred to the visit of the European Commission President and 21 commissioners to Delhi, calling it a signal of Europe’s increased focus on India.
“Such a visit has never happened before to any other country. The dedication toward the FTA is real,” he added.
Ackermann also praised Europe’s measured response to recent global instability, particularly in the U.S., stating that the EU has shown “strength, calm, and sensible resolve” in uncertain times.
Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, echoed similar sentiments regarding India’s trade future. She noted that while India is actively looking to expand its global business footprint, especially with developed nations, some domestic sectors remain too inward-focused.
“India needs to do more business with the world, but selectively—with the right partners,” she remarked, citing recent statements by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
Madan also addressed speculation about India-China relations affecting strategic alliances like the Quad.
“India and China remain structural rivals. A few diplomatic gestures won’t change the competitive undercurrents,” she said, dismissing fears of India abandoning the Quad framework.
As the Global Tech Summit concluded with this panel, the spotlight now shifts to whether India and the EU can turn diplomatic ambition into economic reality by sealing an FTA that has been two decades in the making.