India and the European Union (EU) have pivoted towards greater partnership with the landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed at the 16th India-EU summit. EU President Ursula von der Leyen, who was the chief guest at the Republic Day, remarked that both India and Europe’s “greatest wealth is its people” and announced that the EU will launch its first Legal Gateway Office in India.
‘It will be a one-stop hub for Indian talent’
Ursula said Europe will facilitate the movement of students, researchers, seasonal and highly skilled workers.
“[The office] will be a one-stop hub to support Indian talent moving to Europe, in full alignment with EU Member States’ needs and policies. This is good for our economies. This is good for the friendship between our people. This openness benefits us all,” she said.
How can this move benefit Indian talent?
The new office could streamline the migration of Indian skilled professionals from industries such as IT, nursing, and engineering easier access to work in EU nations, addressing Europe’s labour shortages while boosting Indian services exports.
As per official data released by the European Commission in 2024, Indians received about 16,300 EU Blue Cards in 2024, the highest number of Blue Cards issued to any nationality, which are specifically for highly skilled workers moving to the EU for employment.
As for intra-corporate transfers, EU countries issued 10,200 intra-corporate transfer work permits (for companies relocating employees within the same company), and Indians accounted for around 3,300 of these permits, about 33 % of all such permits.
Indians also make up a sizeable chunk of the population receiving first-time residency permits in the EU. Indians received around 1,92,400 first-time residence permits in 2024, making them one of the largest non-EU national groups granted residence rights to live in the EU in that year, according to European Commission’s data.
What are the other key points of the India-EU FTA?
Over 90-96% of EU goods exports to India will see tariffs eliminated or cut significantly. EU firms will gain privileged access to India’s financial and maritime services sectors, while India will secure duty-free access for textiles, leather, gems, and jewellery exports.
From an economic standpoint, the deal aims to double EU exports to India by 2032 and create a free trade zone of 2 billion people.
