Von der Leyen lauds 'dynamic new era' in EU-India relations as Modi visits Sweden

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Sweden on Sunday, the second stop of a tour through Europe that also includes the Netherlands, Norway and Italy.

In Gothenburg, Modi met with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson and European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen at the European Business Round Table for Industry to meet with European and Indian business leaders.

"This will also deepen investment linkages between India and Europe," Modi said in a post on X ahead of the event.

Von der Leyen reiterated the commitment to the EU-India trade agreement, dubbed the "mother of all deals" that the two sides inked in New Delhi in January, which is expected to be finalised by the end of the year.

Covering nearly two billion people and almost a quarter of global economic output, the deal marks the biggest bilateral trade pact either side has ever signed, at a time when global trade is increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions.

Under the agreement, India will eliminate or reduce duties on 96.6% of EU goods exports, while the EU will liberalise 99.5% of its tariff lines on goods imported from India over seven years.