27 January, 2026AFM President José Pérez Berdud attended today, on behalf of CECIMO, the European Association for Advanced Manufacturing (of which he is Vice-President), the bilateral meetings between the European Commission and India within the framework of the EU-India Business Forum.
In addition to participating in various panel discussions and institutional events, he had the honour of addressing the top leaders of the European Union and India. He conveyed to the small group of attendees, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the importance of cooperation between the two major blocs in order to join forces and multiply their common industrial capacity and the resilience of their value chains. This comes at a difficult time marked by geopolitical upheaval and conflict, the energy transition and fierce technological competition. In this context, he combined capacity of Europe and India in production technologies and advanced manufacturing, with a secure and stable investment framework, coupled with regulatory convergence, will ensure the competitiveness of both regions and their industrial strength.
The machine tool and manufacturing technology sector is a key enabler for the industry and economy of any country.
This meeting coincides with the signing of a historic free trade agreement between the two blocs, the culmination of almost two decades of negotiations, which will create a potential market of nearly 2 billion people and enable estimated savings of up to €4 billion per year in tariffs for European exporters, while also opening up new internationalisation opportunities for industrial and technology companies.
The agreement goes beyond the reduction of trade barriers and incorporates key strategic elements such as promoting the legal mobility of skilled talent, creating an interoperability framework for data processing that complies with European privacy standards, and fostering a stable environment for long-term investment. Overall, the pact seeks to strengthen the strategic autonomy of both regions, reduce external dependencies, and consolidate a mutually beneficial partnership between two of the world's leading economies.
Copyright: European Union
