The text of India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has been legally scrubbed and it is on track to be signed by the end of this year, a senior official said Thursday.
Legal scrubbing is the technical post-negotiation phase where legal experts and trade lawyers from both sides review the text of the draft treaty.
It ensures that the broad political compromises reach airtight legal clarity, verifying that terms, terminology, definitions, and cross-references are consistent, unambiguous, and aligned across all official languages without altering the underlying economic substance.
With the legal vetting complete, the master text is currently being translated into all official EU languages, alongside initial institutional clearances across various European forums. The finalized text will be made public prior to the formal signing, the official added.
Once the text is verified and translated into the EU’s official languages, the European Commission will formally propose it to the Council of the European Union. The agreement has to be approved by the European Council that is composed of heads of state or government of EU countries before signing. After signing the European Parliament votes on it.
India-EU FTA has been intentionally designed as an “exclusive” agreement as it covers only trade matters. The exclusive agreement only requires approval by the European Parliament and not by Parliaments of all 27 member states. After ratification by European Parliament and Indian cabinet, both sides would announce dates for implementation of the agreement.
Taken together, India and the EU account for 25 per cent of the global GDP and one-third (about $ 11 trillion) of international trade. India and EU had announced the conclusion of negotiations on their FTA on January 27 this year after negotiations that lasted almost two decades. The first attempt for the FTA lasted from 2007 to 2013 but was abandoned due to differences over duties on automobiles and spirits.
In 2021 a decision was made to re-launch the negotiations and formal rounds of negotiations started in June 2022. It took 14 intense rounds of negotiations and many high level meetings for the deal to be finalised.
In the FTA India has secured market access for more than 99% of Indian exports by trade value to the EU. Beyond goods, it unlocks high-value commitments in services complemented by a comprehensive mobility framework enabling seamless movement of skilled Indian professionals.