On September 11, 2026, the European Commission put forward its proposals to the Council for the signature and conclusion of free trade agreement between the European Union and India, seeking authorization for its signature and conclusion. In parallel, Indian authorities are going through their own internal ratification procedures. Once finalized, this will be the largest trade agreement ever concluded by both the EU and India.
Broadly speaking, nuts and dried fruits will benefit from tariff liberalization upon entry into force of the agreement, although some categories of products will be liberalized progressively under different staging categories. By way of example, dried grapes exported from India to the EU will receive 0% duty treatment (down from the current MFN rate of 2.4%) immediately upon entry into force of the agreement. For shelled almonds exported from the EU to India, the MFN tariff of Rs. 100 per kg will be eliminated, whereas for in-shell almonds, the customs duty will be reduced to 80% of the base rate (Rs. 35 per kg) on the date of entry into force. In the case of pistachios (both shelled and in-shell) exported from the EU to India, instead of the current MFN rate of 11%, the 11% base rate will be gradually reduced to 5% over a period of 11 years.
For full information about how specific products will be affected under this agreement, see Appendix 2A2 (Tariff schedule of India) and Appendix 2A1 (Tariff schedule of the EU).
