EU-India FTA opens doors to trade, AI and resilient supply chains, Austrian official says

Alexander Proll, Secretary of State at the Austrian Federal Chancellery, said the landmark EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is an innovative win-win agreement that offers immense opportunities in trade, artificial intelligence (AI) and resilient supply chains.

In an interview with P.T.I. In a video, Mr. Prole described the EU-India FTA as the “mother of all trades” that will benefit nearly 200 million people and create one of the world’s largest free trade zones.

“prime minister [Narendra] Mr. Modi visited Austria in 2024 as the two countries have a 75-year diplomatic relationship and now have a free trade agreement. It is the mother of all trades. I think this is a win-win situation for the whole European Union and for India,” Prole said.

The FTA, which was resumed in 2022 after years of negotiations, will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 96.6% of the EU’s exports to India in terms of value and 99.5% of India’s exports to the EU in terms of trade value.

Proll highlighted AI as an important area of ​​future cooperation, calling it “the next step in digitalization.”

“Our principle is that AI should serve people…human-centered AI. We will build human-centered AI around people to save democracy and innovate. I think that’s how we learn from each other,” Prole said.

Regarding global supply chains, he emphasized building interdependence rather than isolation in order to strengthen sovereignty.

“It’s not about isolation, it’s about creating dependence on both sides. Therefore, it’s all about getting closer to each other, and FTAs ​​are part of bringing countries more together.”

The EU-India FTA is awaiting final legal review, ratification by the EU institutions (including consent from the European Parliament) and Indian processes, and is expected to be implemented in the coming months to a year.