The forthcoming India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is poised to become a transformative development for economic ties between India and Europe, according to Lithuanian Ambassador to India Diana Mickevičienė.

She described the agreement as a significant achievement that will unlock new opportunities for trade, technology collaboration and resilient supply chains between the two partners.

Speaking ahead of the anticipated signing of the agreement in December, Mickevičienė expressed confidence that the FTA would come into force while Lithuania holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January to June. She said, "Yes, it's definitely a very big achievement. We look forward to signing it, having it signed in December, so it's next month." She added that Lithuania is prepared to actively promote the agreement and ensure that its provisions are fully utilised once implemented.

The ambassador highlighted the complementary strengths of India and Lithuania, particularly in advanced technology sectors. She described Lithuania as a "small technology superpower" and India as a "big technology superpower" with a vast domestic market capable of scaling innovative technologies developed in smaller economies. According to Mickevičienė, this combination could prove to be a major catalyst for future growth.

Rather than identifying a single area of cooperation, she pointed to a range of high-technology sectors with strong potential, including telematics, laser technologies, artificial intelligence, biometrics and fintech. She noted that Lithuanian laser technologies could contribute to India's ambitions in smart manufacturing, stating, "Our lasers can be part of India's success story in smart manufacturing."

Mickevičienė also stressed that deeper India-EU cooperation could strengthen trusted and resilient supply chains across critical technologies. She argued that the combined scale of the European and Indian markets creates a powerful platform for reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing economic security.

"We need the scale, we need the demand, we need a partnership with a trusted partner, and then we can definitely draw our own supply chains," she said. While acknowledging Lithuania's relatively small size, she emphasised that the country benefits from being part of the European Union's single market, one of the world's largest economic blocs.

On international affairs, the ambassador welcomed India's recent diplomatic initiative concerning the Black Sea region, describing it as a constructive step towards addressing issues arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. She noted the strategic importance of the Black Sea as a critical hub for trade routes and regional stakeholders and said India's proposals could help improve stability if pursued through a balanced and practical approach.

Mickevičienė further stated that Lithuania supports all efforts that could contribute to peace in Ukraine. While welcoming India's active engagement, she urged New Delhi to use its relationship with Moscow to encourage an end to the conflict.

"We can only support anything that contributes to or brings peace closer," she said, adding, "We look at India as a friendly partner, but also as friends with Russia to somehow influence them to basically stop taking what's never been theirs."

Her remarks underscore the growing strategic convergence between India and Europe, where economic cooperation, advanced technologies and supply-chain resilience are becoming increasingly important alongside broader geopolitical engagement.

The proposed FTA is widely expected to deepen commercial ties, boost investment flows and provide fresh momentum to collaboration across a range of emerging industries.

ANI