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India–EU FTA positions Indian pharma & healthcare talent to collaborate across a vast EU market: Dr Abhay Sinha
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
February 02 , 2026
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The India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) positions Indian services, pharma and healthcare talent to compete and collaborate across a vast European market with greater predictability. This along with stronger frameworks and expanded mobility, anchored in a 27-country corridor and a USD 20 trillion opportunity can support sustained services-led growth over the coming decade, says Dr. Abhay Sinha, director general (DG), Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC).
The FTA opens access to the EU’s huge healthcare market, worth around USD 572.3 billion for the pharmaceuticals and medtech market, one of the largest and most regulated such markets globally. This creates new export opportunities for Indian companies.
As healthcare becomes increasingly global, the ability to move skilled professionals seamlessly across borders is as critical as moving products. This is where the agreement transitions from policy intent to operational impact.
Sharing his insights on the FTA, Dr. Sinha informs, “For healthcare services and wellness, the FTA’s mobility framework is the most operational lever. It establishes an assured regime for temporary entry and stays for professionals, including business visitors, intra-corporate transferees, contractual service suppliers and independent professionals, and also supports the movement of dependents in defined categories.”
Dr. Sinha further adds, “This is where the agreement becomes execution-ready, converting market access into on-ground delivery capacity by enabling business travel, professional engagement, and stronger people-to-people linkages. This is a “mobility meets opportunity” step, designed to deepen business travel, professional engagement and people-to-people linkages. Importantly for wellness services, including working commitments for Indian traditional medicine practitioners, this FTA opens a structured pathway for professional engagement in Europe where applicable.”
He further explains that from a pharmaceutical standpoint, this mobility framework will strengthen the sector’s ability to deploy regulatory experts, quality assurance professionals, clinical specialists and senior leadership across EU markets with reduced friction. It will allow Indian pharma companies to support EU-facing operations more efficiently, from compliance and audits to technology transfer, joint research and post-market surveillance.
“This FTA is a meaningful step forward for India’s healthcare ecosystem, especially in making advanced medicines and medical technologies more accessible and affordable. By reducing tariffs on drugs and medical devices, the agreement has the potential to ease cost pressures across the healthcare value chain. Stronger collaboration with Europe and smoother cross-border trade will help hospitals lower input costs and gain easier access to high-quality treatments and technologies. For patients, this translates into better treatment options, improved outcomes, and greater confidence in the care they receive. Over time, these gains will contribute to a stronger, more resilient healthcare system, one that is truly patient-centric and built for sustainable growth,” explains Sonam Garg Sharma, founder & CEO, Medical Linkers.
“The India–EU FTA will reframe the pharma and healthcare relationship from a transactional trade model to a partnership built on talent, trust and long-term capacity building. As implementation unfolds, the agreement has the potential to anchor India not only as a manufacturing powerhouse, but as a full-spectrum healthcare partner to Europe, spanning innovation, services, wellness and human capital. With mobility, market access and scale converging, the India–EU FTA sets the stage for a more integrated, services-led and globally competitive pharma and healthcare ecosystem,” experts note.
“The conclusion of the India–EU FTA marks a defining moment for the pharmaceutical and healthcare ecosystem, extending well beyond tariff liberalisation into the deeper architecture of services, talent mobility and healthcare delivery. For India’s pharma sector, long recognised as the “pharmacy of the world,” the agreement will strengthen export competitiveness, integrate supply chains and open doors to one of the most regulated and high-value healthcare markets globally,” Dr Sinha concludes.
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