Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a trilateral meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, on Wednesday, 17 June, focusing on deepening economic ties and advancing the landmark India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The meeting marks another high-level engagement between India and the European Union following a period of accelerated diplomatic momentum.

Key Developments from the Evian Meeting

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and other senior officials were present alongside the Prime Minister. The discussions covered ways to further deepen economic linkages, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Modi described the meeting as 'wonderful', noting that growing India-EU cooperation 'can play an important role in strengthening peace, stability and prosperity in today's global environment.' In a post on X, he recalled that Costa and Von der Leyen had been guests at India's Republic Day celebrations earlier this year and highlighted the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement as a defining moment for bilateral ties.

FTA to Be Signed by Year-End, IMEC to Be Advanced

Costa confirmed that the two sides will formally sign the India-EU FTA by the end of the year and will simultaneously accelerate work on an investment agreement. In his post on X, Costa called the concluded deal 'the mother of all trade deals' and announced that both parties will also 'step up security and defence cooperation' and 'join forces for better connectivity by advancing IMEC, the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor.'

The FTA negotiations had wrapped up during the 16th India-EU Summit held in New Delhi on 27 January, where Modi, Von der Leyen, and Costa jointly hailed the agreement as a historic milestone. Costa and Von der Leyen had also served as Chief Guests at India's 77th Republic Day celebrations.

India's Role at the G7

The G7 Summit is being held under France's Presidency in Evian this year. This marks India's 13th participation in the G7 and Prime Minister Modi's seventh consecutive attendance at the summit — underscoring India's growing centrality in multilateral economic diplomacy.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the leaders recalled the historic 16th India-EU Summit and welcomed the strong progress made in bilateral relations, especially with the conclusion of the FTA.

What Comes Next

With the formal FTA signing expected before the year closes and IMEC gaining renewed political momentum, the India-EU partnership is entering an implementation phase that will test both sides' capacity to translate diplomatic goodwill into trade flows, infrastructure investment, and security coordination. Industry and trade bodies on both sides are expected to begin consultations on sector-specific provisions in the coming weeks.