Inside EU Health: EU-India free trade deal will slash tariffs for medicines and medical devices; six countries in the WHO/Europe region lose measles-free status

EU-India free trade deal will slash tariffs for medicines and medical devices

The European Union and India have concluded negotiations on a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with Brussels signalling that the outcome surpasses several of the EU’s recent trade deals. A senior European Commission official said the agreement is “considerably better” than those concluded with Australia, the EFTA states and the UK.

According to the official, the breakthrough came when the full College of Commissioners travelled to India in February last year and publicly committed to finalizing the deal by year’s end. That deadline ultimately slipped, largely because the EU prioritized completing its long-running negotiations with Mercosur countries.

Both sides are presenting the agreement as a win for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. India has agreed to largely eliminate tariffs of up to 11% on pharmaceuticals and on 90% of “optical, medical and surgical equipment”, where duties can reach as high as 27%.

In 2024, EU exports to India amounted to just €1.1 billion in pharmaceuticals and €3.4 billion in optical, medical and surgical equipment. By contrast, India’s pharmaceutical exports to global markets were worth an estimated €24.9 billion in 2025. Whereas India is the leading producer of generics, the EU specialises in higher-value medicines.

Intellectual property rights, a long-standing stumbling block in EU-India trade talks, appear to have been handled with greater pragmatism this time. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to the TRIPS Agreement and the Doha Declaration, which places access to medicines ahead of purely commercial considerations.

The Commission official said the agreement includes a “strong” intellectual property chapter, offering protection “a little bit above TRIPS in the WTO”. This marks a shift from earlier EU negotiating positions that pushed for “TRIPS-plus” provisions, including extended data exclusivity periods favoured by European pharmaceutical companies.

Pavan Choudary, chair of the Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI), said the deal reflects complementary strengths on both sides. “India’s pharmaceutical sector anchors the global supply of generic medicines, while Europe leads in advanced therapeutics, clinical research and regulatory science,” he said. “If carefully aligned, these strengths can support co-development ecosystems that improve affordability, accelerate innovation and strengthen supply security for both partners.”

Six countries in the WHO/Europe region lose measles-free status

The World Health Organization/Europe (WHO) announced on Monday that Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan are no longer recognized as measles-free. The WHO/Europe region extends beyond the EU/EEA area covering 53 countries, including those in Central Asia and Causcasus.

Countries lose their measles-free status when the virus has sustained circulation for a year. The surge is largely attributed to a decline in vaccination rates, especially during the Covid pandemic. WHO warns that measles is often the first disease to reappear when immunisation coverage declines, underscoring the urgent need to improve vaccination coverage, which they say should aim to reach 95% of the population.

The disease remains endemic in thirteen countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Romania in the EU. Though it can be debilitating and can damage the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to other diseases, it isn’t usually deadly. According to the latest European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control there have been 10 deaths attributable to measles reported to ECDC over the last year by Romania (5), France (4) and the Netherlands (1).

All EU/EEA immunisation programmes recommend a two-dose measles immunisation schedule, with the first dose administered in the second year of life and the second dose at a later age, which varies by country. Catch-up programmes are in place for those who may have missed a vaccination or are unsure of their vaccination history.