By:  Mr. Dinesh Kanabar, Chairman & CEO, Dhruva Advisors, on the India–EU Trade Deal

“Great leadership, it is often said, lies in the ability to convert external challenges into strategic opportunities. In that spirit, it is heartening to see how India has responded to the headwinds created by higher tariffs imposed by the United States—not by retreating, but by accelerating its global economic integration through trade agreements with the UK, New Zealand, and now, most significantly, the European Union.

The India–EU Free Trade Agreement opens up one of the most important trading corridors in the world. For India, long a global leader in services, this pact expands access to the European market for its skilled professionals, technology services, and knowledge-based industries, at a time when human capital and digital capabilities are becoming central to global competitiveness. 

For the European Union, India represents both a vast consumer market of 1.4 billion people and a fast-growing economy with rising demand for advanced manufactured goods, green technologies, pharmaceuticals, and capital equipment. Reduced tariffs and clearer market access will allow European firms to participate more deeply in India’s growth story.

Beyond trade, the agreement strengthens strategic partnership between two major democratic blocs, promotes investment, technology collaboration, and resilient supply chains. In that broader sense, this is not merely a trade deal, but a platform for long-term economic partnership—rightly being hailed as the “mother of all deals.”