European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Maroš Sefcovic, along with Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, is set to visit India later this week forhigh-level talks aimed at fast-tracking negotiations on a contentious Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The EU officials will meet with their Indian counterparts on Thursday and Friday (Sept 11 & 12) in New Delhi on a renewed push to secure a deal by the end of the year.

The target date of December 2025 was first announced in New Delhi after talks between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Von der Leyen was accompanied by most of her 26 EU Commissioners during the landmark visit to India from February 27–28.

The current talks come amid international developments seen as favourable for India.

Resistance to Pressure Tactics

New Delhi’s global standing has been bolstered by its firm resistance to Washington’s pressure tactics, followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the  sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the port city of Tianjin.

US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods and also urged European nations to adopt similar sanctions and tariffs against India including a halt to all oil and gas imports from New Delhi.

India  has sharply criticized the US tariffs as unjustified, unreasonable, and unfair.'

The meeting between the Chinese and Indian leaders—their first in seven years—is seen as a potential rapprochement between the two major powers, both of whom are facing mounting trade and political pressures from the United States.

Europe, meanwhile, is grappling with multiple crises that are eroding its global image and influence. The defeat of French Prime Minister François Bayrou in a confidence vote in the National Assembly in Paris on Monday evening marks a significant political setback, particularly as France remains one of the continent’s leading political and military powers.

Public Disillusionment in France

France is set to appoint its fifth prime minister in less than two years—a stark reflection of the political instability and public disillusionment that have defined President Emmanuel Macron’s second term.

Rift in EU Leadership

Moreover, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing growing criticism over her perceived pro-American and pro-Israeli stance. Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s second-in-command, recently condemned Israel’s military assault in Gaza as “genocide,” signalling a clear rift within the EU’s executive leadership.

  Von der Leyen has also drawn criticism for signing a trade agreement with the United States that many view as disproportionately favourable to American interests.

A Brussels-based publication Politico reported that some six in 10 Europeans polled in a new survey say they think Ursula von der Leyen should resign as Commission president.

The survey found profound dissatisfaction with the EU’s trade agreement with Washington. Some 52 percent said they felt “humiliated” when they learned about the deal, and three-quarters of respondents said von der Leyen had failed to defend European interests.

Four in 10 said they want to see the EU take a stance of “opposition to the U.S. government” rather than alignment and compromise.

Von der Leyen survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament before the summer recess, but she is expected to face two more such votes in the coming weeks. Despite the mounting pressure, she is expected to remain in office.

India Has The Upper Hand

 A delegation of EU negotiators  is already in the Indian capital for a 13th round of trade negotiations while the next round is expected to take place in Brussels next month. The talks are expected to focus  on contentious issues such as market access, duties on agricultural products, and market access.

The New Delhi FTA talks come at a strategically opportune moment for India, which now holds the upper hand and may be in a position to extract key concessions from Brussels.

However, expectations that an EU-India deal could be finalized by year’s end remain speculative. With geopolitical dynamics in flux, unforeseen developments between now and December could easily reshape the trajectory of the negotiations.

(The author is an Indian journalist who is a long time resident in Brussels and covers the EU. Views expressed are personal. He can be reached nawabbk98@gmail.com. Social handle X @NawabKhan10 )