India-EU Trade Deal to Boost Tech Sector, Investor Confidence: Nasscom

The India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is set to significantly boost investor confidence in India's services sector, according to industry body Nasscom. The deal includes dedicated SME chapters and digital platforms to support market diversification for Indian IT exporters. It focuses on opening services markets, reducing non-tariff barriers, and establishing rules for digital trade that protect privacy and security. The agreement is expected to foster deeper technology ties, spur EU investment in India's IT ecosystem, and create unprecedented market access for Indian exporters.

Key Points: India-EU FTA to Boost Services Sector & Investor Confidence

  • Boosts bilateral trade & economic ties
  • Supports job creation & MSME growth
  • Diversifies markets for Indian IT exporters
  • Opens EU market access for tech services
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India-EU trade deal to boost investors' confidence in services sector: Nasscom

Nasscom says India-EU trade deal will boost tech exports, create jobs, support MSMEs, and increase investor confidence in India's services sector.

India-EU trade deal to boost investors' confidence in services sector: Nasscom
"It strengthens India's position in global value chains for digital services. - Nasscom"

New Delhi, Jan 27

By boosting bilateral trade and economic ties, the India-EU trade deal supports job creation, MSME growth in tech, and overall confidence for investors in India's services sector, IT industry's apex body Nasscom said on Tuesday.

The FTA includes dedicated SME chapters with contact points and digital platforms. Given the geopolitical challenges, the FTA diversifies markets for Indian IT exporters, providing a hedge against global trade uncertainties, said Nasscom

"It strengthens India's position in global value chains for digital services. We will await the detailed draft text to better understand operationalising of the FTA provision," it added.

While goods see major tariff cuts, services gains are more about opening markets and rules-based predictability.

Services being dominant and faster growing part of both economies, the gains would be in the form of better EU market access for Indian tech. This could lower non-tariff barriers and ease cross border delivery, said Nasscom.

"Digital trade rules to support business while protecting privacy, security and public policy. Indian IT firms stand to gain from greater opportunities in Europe, including easier cross-border provision of services (Mode 1 under GATS) and potentially improved mobility for professionals (though Mode 4)," it explained.

India and EU have agreed on constructive framework to enable Social Security Agreements in 5 years with all the EU Member States.

The agreement fosters deeper EU-India ties in technology, innovation, and digital areas (building on the India-EU Trade and Technology Council).

This could lead to more EU investment in India's IT ecosystem, joint ventures, R&D in AI, semiconductors, clean tech, and startups. Indian IT companies could benefit from technology transfer, co-creation, and expanded partnerships, said Nasscom.

The trade agreement opens unprecedented market access for Indian exporters across goods and services, particularly empowering labour-intensive sectors, MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, artisans, and youth-core focus areas of the Government's inclusive growth agenda.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone working in a tech MSME in Bangalore, this gives me hope. Diversifying away from over-reliance on the US market is smart strategy given global uncertainties. The dedicated SME chapters sound promising. Let's see how it translates on the ground.
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Rohit P
Good step, but the proof will be in the implementation. We've signed many agreements before. The key is whether it actually lowers non-tariff barriers and bureaucratic red tape for our companies. Also, hope the "protecting privacy" rules don't become new barriers in disguise.
P
Priyanka N
The mention of empowering women entrepreneurs and artisans is heartening! Often trade deals focus only on big corporates. If this brings more EU investment for our grassroots innovators and handicrafts via digital platforms, it could be truly inclusive. 🤞
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Michael C
The Social Security Agreement part in 5 years is a big deal for Indian professionals working in EU. It addresses a major pain point. Combined with potential for joint R&D in clean tech, this could position India as a serious innovation partner, not just a services backend.
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Kavya N
Nasscom is right to be cautiously optimistic. "Awaiting the detailed draft text" is the key phrase here. The framework sounds good, but the devil is in the details, especially on digital trade rules and data flows. Hope it balances openness with our national interests.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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