European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, June 17, said that India and the European Union will sign the highly ambitious free trade agreement by the end of this year.
This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a trilateral meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa and Von der Leyen on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Évian, France. In the meeting, the two sides are believed to have resolved to step up security and defence cooperation.
“Dear @narendramodi, it is a pleasure to meet again so soon. Since we have concluded the mother of all trade deals, we have been moving fast to deliver on our commitments. We will sign the Free Trade Agreement by the end of the year. And accelerate work on an investment agreement. We will also step up security & defence cooperation. And join forces for better connectivity by advancing IMEC, the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor,” the European Commission President wrote on X.
Dear @narendramodi, it is a pleasure to meet again so soon.
Since we have concluded the mother of all trade deals, we have been moving fast to deliver on our commitments.
We will sign the Free Trade Agreement by the end of the year.
And accelerate work on an investment… pic.twitter.com/JXCDoVazDx
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 17, 2026
Prime Minister Modi, in a post on X, said that this has been a “great time” for India and the European Union ties as the two sides have concluded the Free Trade Agreement.
“It was wonderful meeting European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Evian earlier today. At the start of this year, India was proud to host them for our Republic Day celebrations. This has been a great time for India-EU ties as we have concluded the Free Trade Agreement. During our talks, we discussed how to further deepen economic linkages in the times to come. Our growing cooperation can play an important role in strengthening peace, stability and prosperity in today’s global environment,” he wrote on the social media platform.
It was wonderful meeting European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Evian earlier today. At the start of this year, India was proud to host them for our Republic Day celebrations. This has been a great time for India-EU ties… pic.twitter.com/jwVVUHhYK4
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2026
During the meeting, the leaders discussed ways to strengthen economic ties. They recalled the 16th India-EU Summit held in India earlier this year, besides welcoming the strong progress made in bilateral relations.
Also present in the meeting were External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and other officials.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a bilateral meeting, utilising the platform of the summit to further deepen strategic and economic cooperation between New Delhi and Berlin.
“The talks with Chancellor Merz were very fruitful. We discussed ways to further cement bilateral cooperation by working together in trade, investments, circular economy, defence, IT and more. We also talked about boosting cultural linkages between our nations,” PM Modi shared on X.
The G7 Summit is currently taking place under France’s Presidency in Evian.