By concluding landmark agreements in trade and security, the EU and India are showing a different way forward in today's fractious world, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, referring to the conclusion of a trade agreement the two sides had been negotiating for two decades.

Looking back, Ursula von der Leyen showed that 2025 marked the moment when the fractures in the global order became impossible to ignore, on the grounds of higher tariffs, export controls, economic dependencies used as instruments of pressure. She underscored that, although headlines and news bulletins told a story of conflict and protectionism, it does not tell the whole story, and it does not tell Europe's story.

According to the European Commission head, 2026 will be remembered as the year Europe responded to this new world, strengthening its strategic independence through resilience at home with openness abroad, not through isolation. At the same time, Europe would be at the centre of a wider process alongside worldwide partners searching for a model that preserves openness while reducing dependence.

'Just ten days ago, I was in Paraguay to sign the EU-Mercosur agreement, creating a market of more than 700 million people and binding Europe and Latin America more closely together at a moment of global realignment. Today, I am in New Delhi to conclude the largest trade agreement ever reached by either the European Union or India,' the European Commission president points out in her statement sent to AGERPRES.

The EU-India deal will bring immediate benefits for European businesses and citizens. India already accounts for more than EUR 180 billion in annual trade in goods and services with the EU, supporting close to 800,000 European jobs. Under this agreement, tariffs will be eliminated or reduced on 90% of trade. European exporters will save up to EUR 4 billion a year in duties and EU exports are expected to more than double over time.

Europe's farmers will also benefit, Ursula von der Leyen stresses. Today, Europe exports ten times more agri-food products to China than it does to India. This deal will help close this gap. Indian tariffs on wine will fall from 150% to as low as 20%. Duties on olive oil will drop from 40% to zero. New opportunities will open for Europe's farmers in a vast and increasingly prosperous consumer market. At the same time, Europe's sensitivities are fully protected. There are no tariff reductions on beef, poultry or sugar, and all EU health, safety and environmental standards continue to apply to imports from India, Ursula von der Leyen detailed.

The European Commission president also said that this agreement is not just about managing risk in turbulent times, but it is also an investment in the long-term partnership with one of the defining powers of the 21st century. She highlighted India's potential, as the most populous country in the world and one of the fastest-growing large economy, showing that the deal will stimulate trade and mutual investments, offering European firms conditions unmatched by global competitors and consolidating India's position in the world.

At the same time, von der Leyen showed trade agreements bring stability in times of uncertainty, offering predictability for investment and job creation, including for European producers. At the same time, she pointed out that the agreement is about more than economics, through the signing of the first ever EU-India security and defence partnership, aimed at diversifying strategic cooperation and strengthening the links between the defence industries and armed forces, including joint naval exercises to tackle piracy and protect vital sea lanes. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Ionescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)