EU council president arrives in India to seal trade pact

New Delhi, India: European Council president Antonio Costa arrived in India on Sunday, as the EU and New Delhi seek to seal a free trade pact, capping...

New Delhi, India: European Council president Antonio Costa arrived in India on Sunday, as the EU and New Delhi seek to seal a free trade pact, capping nearly two decades of negotiations between the economic behemoths.

Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are chief guests for this year's Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Monday before an EU-India summit Tuesday, where they hope to shake hands on the accord, described as the "mother of all deals".

"President Costa is in New Delhi for the 16th EU-India summit taking place on Tuesday," the EU Council said on X.

"The summit will be an opportunity to build on the EU-India strategic partnership and further strengthen collaboration across key policy areas."

India, the world's most populous nation, is on track to become the world's fourth largest economy this year, according to International Monetary Fund projections.