European Union to pursue Trade Deal with India

European Union’s senior official on the condition of anonymity informed that the European body aims to relaunch trade talks with India in an attempt to give the South Asian nation a feasible alternative to diversify away from Russia. The official further said that other than trade, the European Union will also pursue a technology council with India. The said technology council could include discussions on the general data protection regulation, social media, and broader digitalization efforts. Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission is planning to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 25.

The European Union is India’s third-largest trading partner and accounts for 62.8 billion euros ($67.8 billion) worth of trade in goods. Both the European Union and the United States have been trying to build close relations with India which is the world’s biggest buyer of weapons manufactured in Russia which it says it uses to deter aggression from neighbors Pakistan and China. Recently, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited India to discuss bilateral relations. It is reported that he also discussed the ongoing Russia Ukraine Conflict.