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Jean-Eric Paquet officially assumed his role as the Ambassador of the European Union to India after presenting his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the robust diplomatic ties between the two regions, Paquet wrote in a post on X, "Honoured to present my credentials to the Honble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu. There is strong momentum across trade, defence, security, R&I. Proud to represent @EU_in_India at such an exciting time. Ready to collaborate and work on shared priorities." Building on this momentum and highlighting the immense potential of bilateral ties, Ambassador Jean-Eric Paquet said that he arrives at an extraordinary moment in the relationship between India and Europe. Speaking to ANI after presenting his credentials, Paquet stated, "I am so honoured to have been able to present these credentials this morning. I think I come at an extraordinary moment in that relationship. India and Europe have decided to engage with one another, politically, economically, technologically, to really make a difference for ourselves, and I think also in a multilateral set-up. I think this will make a big difference." Outlining his primary goals for his tenure, the Ambassador emphasised leveraging existing bilateral frameworks and economic agreements. "For my tenure, I hope to really support everyone here in India to really use the opportunities which will be created by that relationship, of course, particularly by the free trade agreement, but there are many other platforms which exist, like the European Legal Gateway, for example, for mobility, which I hope can be better known, understood, and used here in India," he noted. Further expressing his admiration for the nation's cultural wealth and dynamism, Paquet shared his travel aspirations across the country over the next three years. "I'm so happy to be in India to discover a country and a continent. The diversity, the energy of your country is, for me, an extremely exciting perspective in terms of travelling. I intend to travel everywhere. You have 28 states, eight Union Territories; you will see me across all of them during these three years. I started indeed in Amritsar. I was just now in Jaisalmer, wonderful, and I will continue very shortly," he added. Paquet's tenure in India comes at a time when the historic India-EU trade deal is set to be operationalised. On January 27 , the EU and India concluded negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement. The deal is aimed at strengthening economic and political ties between the world's second and fourth largest economies, at a time of rising geopolitical tensions and global economic challenges, highlighting their joint commitment to economic openness and rules-based trade. The EU is Indias third-largest trading partner, with trade in goods worth 118 billion in 2025, or 11.1% of India's total trade. (ANI)
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