EU leadership lands in Delhi for free trade deal talks amid Trump tariff threat

New Delhi: A meeting of the top leadership of India and the European Union (EU) on Friday is expected to give fresh impetus to efforts to seal an ambitious free trade agreement (FTA), especially against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s threat to hit the 27-member bloc with 25% tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in New Delhi on Thursday and will be joined by 20 members of the EU’s 27-strong College of Commissioners for meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of his cabinet, including external affairs minister S Jaishankar, commerce minister Piyush Goyal and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. This is the first visit by the College of Commissioners to India.

Von der Leyen’s comments came hours after Trump said he planned to hit goods made in the EU with 25% tariffs and claimed the bloc was created to “screw the United States”. At an appearance with members of his cabinet, Trump said: “We’ll be announcing it very soon...It’ll be 25% generally speaking and that will be on cars and all other things.”