Lower Thirds: 

0:01	Report by Shalu Yadav Abiraj Kumar 
0:12	Ursula von der Leyen | European Commission President
0:30	Source | YouTube: PMO India
1:02	Shalu Yadav | DW Correspondent
1:25	Shairee Malhotra | Deputy Director, Observer Research Foundation
2:24	Source | YouTube: PMO India

(( info: The EU’s top two leaders — Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa — are chief guests at India’s Republic Day parade. 
That’s no coincidence. India and the EU are about to conclude what could be one of the world’s biggest trade deals. 
For both sides, this Free Trade Agreement is a geopolitical hedge. 
The US is unpredictable. 
China is a strategic rival. 
And a formal deal offers a large, rules-based partnership — at a time when predictability has become a hard political currency. DW's Shalu Yadav reports from Delhi.  ))

Script:

00:01
VO: Speaking at Davos last week, the president of the European Commission  
Ursula Von Der Leyen hailed a defining chapter in EU-India relations. 

00:09
+++ SOT Ursula Von Der Leyen, European Commission President 
‘There’s still work to do, but we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Indeed some call it the mother of all deals... One, it will create a market of over 2 billion people, accounting for almost a quarter of global GDP.’ 

00:31
Visuals of VDL with Modi in India in 2025
  
VO: Von der Leyen visited India last year, ramping up joint efforts to conclude the mega deal. For both sides, it is too important to fail - economically and politically. 

00:43
GFX IN: (dark blue backdrop India flag mixed with EU flag) 

HEADER: INDIA-EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENT  
Greater market access 
Rules and predictability 
Diversify trade ties 
 
VO over graphics: It would give India more access to Europe’s vast consumer market, while European firms tap into one of the world’s fastest growing economies. It promises stability and rules-based order in an uncertain global market – and helps both to reduce their reliance on the United States and China.  

01:00
+++ PTC 
The timing is significant.  Both sides have been working on this deal for decades, but they only started to show real urgency last year. US president Donald Trump could well take the credit for that...as his tariff penalties have pushed allies to strengthen their trade ties with alternate partners.   

01:18
+++ SOT Shairee Malhotra, Deputy Director, Observer Research Foundation
Donald Trump's second presidency has definitely been an accelerator. The transatlantic alliance has come under immense strain. We've also seen US-India relations, in fact, come under a lot of strain after Trump imposed tariffs of 50% on Indian products to punish India for its purchases of Russian oil. And absolutely, I think this is one of the reasons that the FTA negotiations have been fast-tracked over the last couple of months in the way that they have. 

01:43
+++ PTC 2 18 seconds : It's not just trade - the summit also marks the beginning of a new strategic partnership between india and the EU - including defense cooperation. Both sides may not be on the same page when it comes to Russia, but they have identified each other as trusted and needed partners in a changed global order.
 
02:01
+++ SOT Shairee Malhotra, Deputy Director, Observer Research Foundation: 
I think there was a bit of naivety in Europe when it comes to India's own security compulsions. And I think that has changed now. There's also the fact of the Russia-China alliance, the Russia-China No Limits Partnership that was again signed just when this war began. But I think over the course of time, Europe and India, Indian interactions actually increased against the backdrop of this war.  

02:25
END VO: Both sides are keen to sign as soon as possible, but the agreement still needs to be approved by the European parliament. And that could take up to a year. +++