New Delhi: India and the European Union (EU) concluded the “mother of all deals” on Tuesday (January 27). Reacting to the major development, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that India and Europe were “making history”.
Announcing the conclusion of the historic trade deal between India and the 27-nation bloc in her X post, von der Leyen stated, “Europe and India are making history today. We have concluded the mother of all deals. We have created a free trade zone of two billion people, with both sides set to benefit.”
“This is only the beginning. We will grow our strategic relationship to be even stronger,” she added.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President of the European Council, Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and von der Leyen at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. PM Modi then held delegation-level talks with the EU leaders.
Costa and von der Leyen were also the chief guests of the Republic Day 2026 parade.
The Indian delegation comprised of several leaders including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval among others.
Meanwhile, the European Delegation was led by President of the European Council, Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen. Other key leaders present included EU VP Kaja Kallas and European Union Trade Commissioner Marcos Sefcovic.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, reiterating it as the 'Mother of all deals' and how it illustrates the partnership between two major economies of the world. The deal becomes significant as it links two major economies that command a quarter of the world's GDP.
PM Modi made the remarks while virtually addressing the Opening Ceremony of India Energy Week 2026.
Negotiations for the trade deal between the two sides were launched in 2007. However, talks stalled in 2013 and were resumed again in 2022.
