New Delhi, March 1 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday agreed to conclude an ambitious India-EU free trade deal by this year amid fears that the Trump administration's threat of higher tariffs could adversely impact the global economy.
In their talks, both the leaders also decided to expand two-way defence cooperation, especially in the Indo-Pacific with Vonder Leyen announcing that the European Union (EU) was looking at firming up a security and defence pact with India in line with its partnerships with close allies Japan and South Korea.
The deadline for concluding the trade deal that would be the largest of its kind globally came over 17 years after the two sides first began ...