Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:21am on 21 Jan 2026,Wednesday International
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU is "on the cusp" of signing a historic trade agreement with India, calling it the "mother of all deals" that would create a two-billion-person market representing nearly a quarter of global GDP. Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will attend India's Republic Day celebrations and co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on January 27, when the deal is expected to be signed. The agreement, decades in the making after negotiations relaunched in July 2022, gains urgency amid US tariff threats and shared concerns about China's dominance. India seeks market access for textiles and gems; the EU wants entry for automobiles and beverages.
