The India-EU FTA: Strategic Autonomy in a Fragmented Trade Order

In this paper, we discuss:

• The India–EU FTA as a strategic partnership linking major markets amid rising global fragmentation;
• How US protectionism helped accelerate long-stalled negotiations;
• The economic upside, tariff cuts on most goods and potential export gains, tempered by India’s still modest weight in overall EU trade;
• Persistent sectoral carve-outs;
• A broader shift toward bilateral trade as a tool of strategic autonomy.

Download PDF: India – EU FTA – February 2026