Anchal Vohra
The impetus to push the deal forward appears to be the result of an EU scramble to find alternative markets, as their closest ally across the Atlantic declares a trade war. With U.S. President Donald Trump threatening tariffs against Europe almost as soon as he took office, von der Leyen first signed a long-controversial deal with the Latin American Mercosur bloc, and then looked east toward India.
“We both stand to lose from a world of spheres of influence and isolationism. And we both stand to gain from a world of cooperation and working together,” she said during her February visit to New Delhi.
And with a population of more than 1.4 billion people, India offers a vast market for European goods and services, a manufacturing base it could invest in and nurture to counter China, and — crucially — a vast reserve of human capital to utilize.
Back in 2023, the EU had prepared an action plan to lure foreign workers and meet bloc-wide shortages in 42 occupations. And provided their qualifications are recognized and visa processes made easier, Indian citizens are now poised to plug these gaps.
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