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| India and European Union flags at a diplomatic meeting. German Ambassador Jasper Wieck said the proposed EU-India free trade agreement could be signed by year-end. (Representative image) |
New Dehli/ London - The proposed free trade agreement between India and the European Union could be signed by the end of this year, German Ambassador to India Jasper Wieck said on Wednesday, calling the pact’s economic potential one of his main priorities in New Delhi.
Speaking at a press conference, Wieck said the agreement was concluded earlier this year and could be formally signed before 2026 ends. He said a central objective would be to ensure that Indian and German companies make full use of the opportunities it creates for trade and investment.
“The agreement was concluded at the beginning of the year and could be signed by the end of the year. Our focus will be on realising the agreement’s economic potential,” he said.
Experts, he added, believe the deal could substantially increase bilateral commerce and may even double trade between the two sides.
Wieck also framed the commercial talks against a wider political backdrop. The India-Germany strategic partnership, established in 2000, had become more important than ever, he said, as the global environment grows more unpredictable, trust among countries declines and competition among major powers intensifies.
That deterioration, he argued, had reinforced the value of partnerships built on trust, predictability and mutual confidence — qualities he said India and Germany share, and which would be needed to manage emerging challenges.
On domestic politics in Germany, Wieck said regional elections were unlikely to affect India-Germany relations. He noted that the overwhelming majority of Germans live in western Germany, which he described as generally moderate and confident in democratic institutions.
On security, the ambassador restated Germany’s criticism of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, saying Moscow’s conduct had undermined peace, stability and trust in Europe. He pointed to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military actions in Georgia as examples of what he called a broader revisionist approach.