LIMITS OF EU GAINS
With the EU, experts say it could take months before the trade pact comes into force, and even then, the scope for rapid growth may be limited.
“The EU is a fairly saturated market, (and) not a very high growth market at this stage,” said Arpita Mukherjee, a professor at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.
“However, it is a mental assurance … that probably protectionism will not take place and there will be no rollback of the current regime.”
India’s engagement with the EU also extends beyond trade, encompassing deeper strategic ties.
India is only the third Asian country, after Japan and South Korea, to have a defence partnership with the bloc.
Analysts say this signals the EU’s intent to fill a vacuum created by shifting US policies, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, though they caution that Europe faces significant constraints.
“I think in the short term, it will be very difficult,” said the Observer Research Foundation’s Pant.
“The EU as a whole does not have the kind of capabilities for power projection that America has.”
India is now widening its outreach further, exploring a trade treaty with Gulf nations.
The broader focus remains on cooperation among like-minded countries to uphold a rules-based global order, even as US commitment appears uncertain.
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