EU ambassador to India Herve Delphin
The 13th round of India-EU negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) this month was a missed opportunity, but the EU remains committed to concluding a “meaningful package” by the end of this year, EU ambassador to India Herve Delphin has said. India and the EU will hold another round of FTA talks in Brussels on October 6, hoping to close several chapters that both sides could not in the last round here. Delphin’s remarks confirm that there are lingering issues that both sides need to address to be able to meet the year-end deadline. EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, who visited India this month, had said that he expected more progress in the last round. Separately, Germany’s ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann told TOI last week the 13th round was good but not good enough, while expressing confidence that India and the EU will get down to closing more chapters in the next round. Before the 13th round, only 12 of the 24 chapters, including SMEs, transparency, dispute settlement and customs and trade facilitation – had been closed.“The 13th round earlier in September was a bit of a missed opportunity to make some breakthrough. The EU was and is still ready to conclude on a meaningful package. We look forward to India engaging in earnest and moving, like the EU has shown readiness to do, towards a mutually beneficial deal,” said Delphin, addressing an event that explored the way forward in India-EU relations against the backdrop of global disorder. Delphin said that the EU and India offer each other important strategic options to “de-risk the economic turmoil and the security uncertainties, to tap into our complementarities and combine respective strengths and scale to serve each other’s interests”. The EU push towards strategic autonomy and India’s own, as Delphin said, strategic conundrum in the form of challenges posed by the US, China and Russia have forced both sides to diversify their partnerships. However, India’s energy ties with Russia, as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this month, remains an impediment to progress in India-EU ties. On its part, India wants EU to shun “double standards” on the issue of Russian oil, with the MEA reminding the EU last week of President Donald Trump’s remarks urging Europe to not purchase Russian energy. Delphin said it is for India to consider how it can square its position on Russia, a strategic partner, with its support for peace and its desire to enhance ties with the EU. Apart from its energy ties with Russia, India’s participation in the Russia-Belarus military exercise Zapad-2025 has also been met with disapproval in Europe. “We also have to be clear-eyed about those issues on which we are not aligned…there is a Russia question – specifically linked to its war of aggression against Ukraine and its hostile attitude towards as seen in past weeks and days and the violation of European air space by Russian drones,” said Delphin. “India has pronounced itself for peace. Russia is a strategic partner for India. And India wants to deepen its ties with the EU. This will require further consideration in Delhi on how to square those terms,” he added.
