Legal and Policies
India signs ‘mother of all’ trade deal with EU
New Delhi: India and the European Union have inked a landmark free trade agreement, a deal being hailed as the “mother of all” pacts. It promises duty-free access for over 90 per cent of Indian goods, integrates a market of nearly two billion consumers, and accounts for around a quarter of global GDP.
Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal confirmed negotiators had concluded an “ambitious, balanced, forward-looking and mutually beneficial” agreement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the signing on Tuesday during a summit with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who were chief guests at India’s Republic Day celebrations.
The deal is expected to turbocharge India-EU trade, particularly in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, leather, chemicals, electronics and jewellery—industries that have long struggled to compete with duty-free imports from least developed countries.
The pact also sends a signal beyond Europe. The US, uneasy over India’s oil trade with Russia amid the Ukraine conflict, has taken notice. Analysts say the FTA positions India as a counterweight to protectionist policies that rattled global trade under Donald Trump.
“This is a perfect example of a partnership between two major economies…representing 25 per cent of global GDP and a third of world trade,” Modi said, adding that the deal reinforces shared commitments to democracy and the rule of law.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “This agreement empowers our shared commitment towards democracy and rule of law. This Free Trade Agreement with the European Union will also complement Britain and EFTA’s agreements…I congratulate the people of the nation for this”… pic.twitter.com/30d2fYMxAc
— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2026
Negotiations, relaunched in June 2022 after nearly a decade-long hiatus, now yield a pact that could redefine global commerce—India and Europe are not just trading partners, they are rewriting the rules of the game.
Legal and Policies
‘The India deal is on…’: India tariffs cut to 10% from 18% after Trump’s SC defeat
In response, Trump rolls out blanket 10 per cent tariff, “effective almost immediately”
WASHINGTON: The White House said on Friday that US trading partners, including India, will face a flat 10 per cent tariff after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose sweeping import duties. Countries that reached tariff agreements with Washington, both before and after Trump’s original orders, will now be subject to the same 10 per cent levy, even if higher rates had previously been agreed.
The ruling invalidated Trump’s reliance on a 1977 law to levy sudden, country-specific tariffs, dealing a sharp blow to one of his signature economic policies. Within hours, the administration responded by certifying a new, across-the-board 10 per cent duty on imports into the United States.
In response, Trump announced an additional blanket 10 per cent tariff on all imports into the United States, signing a new order and saying on social media that it was “effective almost immediately”, after a year in which his administration had imposed varying duties to reward allies and punish rivals.
According to a White House factsheet, the new levy will take effect on 24 February and remain in force for 150 days. Exemptions will continue for sectors under separate investigations, including pharmaceuticals, and for goods entering the US under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
A White House official told AFP that the administration would seek ways to “implement more appropriate or pre-negotiated tariff rates” at a later stage, signalling that country-specific arrangements could return through alternative legal routes.
The move directly affects India, which earlier this month announced a framework for an interim trade agreement with the United States. That arrangement followed Trump’s decision to lift 25 per cent punitive tariffs linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil and cut reciprocal duties from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. Under the new regime, Indian exports to the US will instead face the flat 10 per cent rate.
Trump insisted the Supreme Court verdict would not disrupt the India-US trade deal. “Nothing changes,” he said, adding that India would continue to pay tariffs while the United States would not.
“They’ll be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs. So the deal with India is they pay tariffs… It’s a fair deal now,” Trump said, describing the shift as a “flip” from past arrangements. “The India deal is on… all the deals are on—we’re just going to do it in a different way.”
Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court ruled six to three that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorise a president to impose tariffs. Chief justice John Roberts said the law contained “no reference to tariffs or duties” and did not grant such “extraordinary power”.
Trump reacted angrily, accusing the court, without evidence, of foreign influence and claiming the ruling left him “more powerful”. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent later said the administration’s alternative approach would leave tariff revenues “virtually unchanged” in 2026.
The decision does not affect sector-specific duties on steel, aluminium and other goods, nor ongoing investigations that could lead to further levies. Still, it marks Trump’s most significant Supreme Court defeat since returning to the White House.
Markets reacted calmly, with Wall Street shares edging higher. Business groups welcomed the ruling, while uncertainty remains over whether companies will receive refunds for tariffs already paid. Analysts estimate potential refunds could reach $175 billion, though legal clarity is lacking.
