The India-EU FTA will be a game changer for trade and investment between India and the European Union, German Ambassador to India Jasper Wieck said. He spoke to IANS on 4 November on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi that marked the 20th anniversary of the Indo-German Energy Forum. Wieck said the pact, which the two sides aim to sign before the end of this year, will cut tariffs on many industrial products and, in part, on farm products. The remarks, reported on 12 November, put a fresh focus on a deal that has been in the works for years. Talks on the India-EU FTA ended earlier in 2026, and the text is now going through legal scrubbing before it can be signed.
What the India-EU FTA will change
Wieck said: “The EU free trade agreement, which is to be signed at the end of this year and is expected to enter into force in the first half of next year, will be a game changer for our bilateral trade and investment partnership. It will reduce tariffs on many industrial products and, partially, on agricultural products.” The ambassador tied the India-EU FTA to wider gains for exporters and investors on both sides. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said India and the EU will sign the FTA before the end of the year. Once the text clears legal scrubbing, the two sides can move to signature and then to ratification. The pact spans goods, services and digital trade, and it removes tariffs on more than 90 percent of goods traded between the two sides.
A report by Rubix Data Science estimated the India-EU FTA could help India move exports worth 10 to 11 billion dollars from the United States to the European Union. The estimate points to one reason the deal matters for Indian exporters. A pact that removes tariffs on more than 90 percent of goods traded would lower the cost of selling into Europe. For European firms, the deal opens the Indian market with lower duties on industrial goods. The report gives a number to the argument Wieck made in New Delhi, and it shows why exporters on both sides are watching the timetable for signature.
India and Germany in a deeper phase
Wieck said ties between India and Germany are entering a deeper phase across trade, investment, energy and strategic sectors. The two countries have marked 75 years of diplomatic relations and 26 years of strategic partnership. Energy has been a large part of that work. Wieck noted that India’s renewable energy capacity rose from about 2 to 3 GW in 2006 to around 300 GW today. The growth gives German firms a wider field for work in energy technology, and it gives India a partner with long experience in the field. He linked the energy work to the wider trade agenda, saying the India-EU FTA will add to the momentum.
Why the India-EU FTA matters for business
Wieck is not the first German envoy to use the phrase. His predecessor, Philipp Ackermann, who was farewelled in July 2026, had also called the India-EU FTA a game changer. Ackermann said the pact would bring more German investment to India and possibly more Indian investment to Germany. The comment from Ackermann came before he left the post in July 2026, and Wieck has now carried the same message forward. The two envoys used the same words months apart, and the repeat shows how Berlin views the deal.
With legal scrubbing under way, the next step is signature. Misri has said the two sides will sign before the end of the year, and Wieck said the pact is expected to enter into force in the first half of next year. Once in force, exporters on both sides will be able to plan around lower tariffs on most goods traded. The India-EU FTA still needs that signature, and the two sides have set the end of the year as the date for it.