January 2026

Project SESEI, together with its project partners CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, the European Commission, and EFTA, heartily welcomes the concluded negotiations for this historic, ambitious and commercially significant free trade agreement (FTA). The Political declaration on closure of India–EU FTA negotiations along with other MoUs and Agreements on Financial Regulation, Administrative Arrangement on Advanced Electronic Seals & Signatures, establishing the India–EU Green Hydrogen Task Force, Cooperation in Disaster Risk Management and EU–India Security & Defence Partnership Agreement are welcome steps to strengthen economic and political ties between the world's second and fourth largest economies, highlighting their joint commitment to economic openness and rules-based trade.

This historic closure of Free Trade Agreement negotiations — rightly termed as the “mother of all deals”— along with the Joint India–EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda: Towards 2030, is a true reflection of the strong strategic partnership, shared values, mutual trust, and deep bilateral ties that the EU and India have built over the years.

This landmark FTA will further deepen the partnership between the world’s two largest democracies and is expected to deliver significant economic gains for billions of people on both sides. The ambitious Strategic Agenda places strong emphasis on supporting critical emerging digital technologies & connectivity, particularly trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, quantum technologies, semiconductors etc.

Equal importance is given to building a resilient, sustainable, and secure future through cooperation on clean energy, green hydrogen, and the creation of strategic trade opportunities. It also seeks to expand global collaboration through initiatives such as the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the advancement of the EU–Africa–India Digital Corridor.

Project SESEI is a standards-focused initiative established in 2013 by the European Commission and EFTA, in collaboration with the three European Standardisation Organisations—CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI. The project strengthens the shared vision of collaboration between the European Union and India in digital technologies - 6G, Digital Public Infrastructure – Digital Signature, eIDAS, clean and green technologies, and by reducing technical barriers to trade for safe, secure, and sustainable supply chains.

SESEI has played an instrumental role in facilitating EU–India alignment at policy, regulatory, and standardisation levels, and in establishing a robust platform for dialogue among governments, researchers, Industry and societal stakeholders.

While this landmark negotiated draft texts of FTA go through its legal revision, proposal to council, translation and its adoption, signature and ratification by both sides, the renewed commitment under the Joint India–European Union Comprehensive Strategic Agenda: Towards 2030, TTC dialogue will further advance the objectives of Project SESEI and its partners by strengthening standards cooperation, fostering innovation, supporting sustainable growth, and reinforcing trusted, future-ready value chains between Europe and India.

Source: EU and India conclude landmark Free Trade Agreement
Towards 2030: A Joint European Union-India Comprehensive Strategic Agenda