India and EU Seal Major Free‑Trade Pact Shaped by U.S. Tariffs

India and the European Union announced in New Delhi on Jan. 27, 2026 that they have concluded a sweeping free‑trade agreement covering almost all goods and setting frameworks for defense, security and skilled‑worker mobility, a deal European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the "mother of all deals." The pact, which still requires legal scrub and European Parliament ratification, will eventually see India reduce or eliminate tariffs on 96.6% of EU exports and the EU reciprocate on nearly 99% of Indian exports by value, with quotas and phased cuts on politically sensitive items such as cars, wine and whisky. Officials say the accord links two markets representing about 25% of global GDP and one‑third of global trade, is expected to save EU exporters up to €4 billion ($4.7 billion) in annual tariffs, and will deepen joint manufacturing and supply‑chain integration across sectors from textiles and leather to autos, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Both sides explicitly framed the breakthrough as propelled by President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on Indian and European exports and his threats to penalize Europe over resistance to his Greenland ambitions, signaling a deliberate shift by major U.S. partners to hedge against Washington by deepening ties with each other. For U.S. firms, the deal creates a large, preferential India‑EU trade zone that could erode American exporters’ market share and bargaining power in both markets, while strengthening India and Europe’s ability to set trade and regulatory norms without U.S. input.