India, March 6 -- The new India-EU free trade agreement (FTA), termed the 'mother of all deals' is viewed by many as an important opportunity for Indian exporters with anticipated preferential access for 90 per cent of traded goods by value and large tariff reductions. Some of the industries benefiting from this agreement include textile, leather and engineering manufacturing, all of which are all labour-intensive sectors.

However, whether exporters can actually benefit from these tariff gains will depend on their ability to comply with the European Union's new sustainability rule, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which is set to be enforced from July 18, 2026. ESPR will cover most physical goods sold in the EU (exce...