Vice-President Meets European Parliament AFET Delegation

Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan received a delegation of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) at Parliament House in New Delhi. The delegation was led by Mr David McAllister. The Chairman said ties between India and the European Union had moved forward markedly in recent years across a spread of sectors, and thanked the leadership on both sides for carrying them along.

The common ground

Speaking of what the relationship rests on, the Vice-President said India and the European Union are the two largest democracies and open market economies, both of them diverse and plural societies, and both with a stake in shaping a resilient multipolar world order. He noted that the institutional links built up after the College of Commissioners travelled to India in 2025 under the European Commission President, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, with a whole-of-government approach, had borne results.

Recent high-level visits

The Chairman recalled that the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission had been Guests of Honour at the Republic Day celebrations. Their state visit, timed with the 16th India-EU Summit, gave the partnership a strong push.

Trade and the proposed agreement

On commerce, he pointed out that India and the European Union together make up a market of roughly 25 trillion US dollars and close to two billion people. He described the proposed Free Trade Agreement as the “Mother of all deals”, said he hoped it would be signed within this year, and asked the European Parliament for the backing the agreement will need to get through.

Technology and research

Turning to technology, research and innovation, the Vice-President praised the part played by the India-EU Trade and Technology Council in coordinating strategy at the top level. He also said he was satisfied that negotiations had been wrapped up on India joining the Horizon Europe programme, the European Union's research and innovation scheme.

Who else was present

Members of the Rajya Sabha who attended included Shri Sanjay Kumar Jha, Shri Surendra Singh Nagar, Shri Amar Pal Maurya and Smt P. T. Usha, each of whom heads a parliamentary friendship group with a European country. During the meeting the Chairman also expressed his deepest condolences over a train accident in Spain the same day.