India and the European Union will push to finalize a free-trade agreement this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.
In a keynote speech during her two-day visit to New Delhi, von der Leyen said a closer alliance with India would be “a cornerstone of Europe’s policy in the years and decades to come,” built on enhanced cooperation on trade, technology, security and defense.
“A free trade agreement between the EU and India would be the largest deal of this kind anywhere in the world. I am well aware it will not be easy. But I also know that timing and determination counts, and that this partnership comes at the right moment for both of us,” von der Leyen said after talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
