
Speaking on Monday during a trip to India, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa could sign a free trade agreement with New Delhi by the end of the month.
Merz's comments came days after a majority of EU member states backed the Mercosur free trade pact, a deal strongly supported by Germany as part of the bloc’s strategy to diversify trade ties beyond the US and China – two countries that have pursued strongly nationalist trade policies over the past year.