POLITICS

India, EU poised to seal trade pact; MEA readies parallel defence cooperation push

EU’s decision to move ahead on a formal security and defence partnership with India effectively locks in New Delhi as a long-term strategic pillar for Europe in the Indo-Pacific. Coming on the eve of a prospective “mother of all deals” FTA that Ursula von der Leyen says is now within reach, it signals that trade and hard security will be stitched together at the upcoming summit in New Delhi. Within MEA, this is triggering a coordinated push: fast-tracking negotiations on the Security and Defence Partnership and Security of Information Agreement, aligning naval and maritime-security cooperation, and mapping defence–industrial projects where EU technology can plug into India’s manufacturing and export base. For South Block, the package is being read as a chance to de-risk from Russia without alienating Moscow, while leveraging Europe’s search for reliable partners amid US–EU frictions on tariffs and China policy.