LONDON: The Council of the European Union on Monday approved conclusions on a new strategic EU-India agenda which include efforts to conclude a balanced, ambitious, mutually beneficial and economically meaningful free trade agreement, which the European Commission and the Indian government aim to finalise by the end of the year.

“Such agreement must include enhanced market access, removal of trade barriers, and provisions on sustainable development,” the Council said in a statement on its website.

The Council also emphasised the joint capacity and responsibility of the EU and India to safeguard multilateralism and the rules-based international order with the UN Charter at its core, as well as the multilateral trading system, in particular the WTO.

The promotion and protection of democr

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