The European Union is disappointed that the India-EU summit is not taking place, a delegation of EU Parliamentarians visiting India said on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to travel to Germany and France next month before travelling to Canada. He was also expected to to visit Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union.

“We are very disappointed by that (summit not taking place). We hope our mission to India will help build bridges…. bring a positive message that we want to engage with India. We are very excited by the Modi Government, in particular its commitment to business and economic growth and there are many ways we can be of assistance,” Geoffrey van Orden, Chairman, Parliamentary delegation for relations with India, said on Monday. The last India-EU Summit took place in 2012.

He added that the delegation was keen to get the relationship between India and EU back on the fast track. “In particular we will like to see some progress in the long stalled FTA,” he said.

Though a formal date for the summit had not been not finalised, van Orden said that the delegation would be urging the EU side to identify a new date soon. “We hope that the Indian leadership will respond in a positive way and we will find a date sooner rather than later,” he said.  

Neena Gill, Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Delegation for Relations with India, expressed hope that the Summit would happen later this year.

She added that while the Summit by itself will not lead to a Free Trade Agreement between India and the EU, it will provide momentum. An India-EU FTA has been in the works for several years now.

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