New Delhi, Sept. 11 -- India and the European Union on Friday moved closer to finalising a landmark free trade agreement (FTA), with the European Commission seeking approval for its signature and conclusion. If authorised by the Council, this will be the largest trade agreement ever concluded by both the EU and India.

The EU and India already trade over €180 billion in goods and services per year, supporting nearly 800,000 EU jobs. Once the FTA is adopted and entered into force, it will improve market access, reduce tariffs, tackle unnecessary barriers to trade, and provide predictable rules for trade and investment between the two countries.

The EU and India started negotiating an FTA in 2007. The talks were suspended in 2013, re...