EU Expected to Complete Ratification of Free Trade Agreements with India by November-end

The European Union (EU) is expected to complete the ratification of its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India by November-end while the broader Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will be operational by end-April, a senior official said Thursday. The legal scrubbing of the FTA between India and EU is expected to be completed by July after which the ratification process would start. The FTA between India and EU was finalised on January 27. Talks with the are on for an issue related to entry into force of CETA and it would be sorted out soon and agreement could come into force by end of April, the official added. India and the UK signed CETA on July 24, 2025. Since then it has been discussed in both houses of Parliament. India-EU FTA has been intentionally designed as an “exclusive” agreement as it covers only trade matters. The exclusive agreement only requires approval by the European Parliament and not by Parliaments of all 27 member states. However, after the legal text is ready, the agreement has to be approved by the European Council that is composed of heads of state or government of EU countries before signing. After signing the European Parliament votes on it. The official said that due to the war in West Asia, talks with Gulf Cooperation Cooperation (GCC) and Israel on the trade agreement might be delayed. India and EU had announced the conclusion of negotiations on their FTA on January 27 this year after negotiations that lasted almost two decades. The first attempt for the FTA lasted from 2007 to 2013 but was abandoned due to differences over duties on automobiles and spirits. In 2021 a decision was made to re-launch the negotiations and formal rounds of negotiations started in June 2022. It took 14 intense rounds of negotiations and many high level meetings for the deal to be finalised. In the FTA India has secured market access for more than 99% of Indian exports by trade value to the EU. Beyond goods, it unlocks high-value commitments in services complemented by a comprehensive mobility framework enabling seamless movement of skilled Indian professionals. India on the other hand will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 96.6% to 97.5% of EU exports. Duties on high-end European cars (above €25,000) will be cut to 10% over five years, with a quota of 250,000 vehicles. On wine and spirits import duties will decrease to 20-30% from 150%, excluding low-cost wine. The CETA will allow 99% of the Indian exports to enter the UK duty free and cover almost 100% of the trade in value terms. For the UK, India will reduce or eliminate duties on 90% of the tariff lines that account for 92% of the imports.