The European Commission has forwarded the EU-India trade agreement to member states for ratification, but the text is available only in English—a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from France. The move is part of a broader push by the EU executive to streamline the ratification process by avoiding the costly and time-consuming translation of trade deals into all 24 official EU languages.
Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill confirmed the delivery on Friday, reiterating the goal set by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her January visit to New Delhi. "She made a commitment to try to get it over the line within this calendar year," Gill said. "That is still our ambition."
Paris, however, is pushing back. As reported by Euronews in March, French officials argue that translation is not a luxury but a legal requirement—and not just into French, which is one of the EU's working languages. They contend that trade agreements contain technical provisions whose nuances can only be fully grasped in a translated version.
Why France objects
For France, the issue is about more than linguistic pride. Access to EU trade deals in all languages is seen as essential for both EU and national lawmakers to scrutinize the fine print. The French government has long maintained that such agreements are too complex to be assessed solely in English, and that skipping translation undermines democratic oversight.
The Commission, for its part, insists that translations will be prepared before the European Parliament votes on the deal. "What we are proposing to do is that the agreement will be signed in the language of negotiations, i.e. English, and all EU language versions will become available as soon as possible during the process and certainly before the agreement will be voted in the European Parliament," Gill added.
But it remains unclear whether that commitment will be enough to ease French opposition. Paris has already demonstrated its willingness to block trade agreements it dislikes. It led the charge against the EU-Mercosur deal, concluded in December 2024, though that opposition was rooted in trade concerns—French farmers feared unfair competition from Latin American agricultural products. That agreement's ratification has since been suspended after MEPs referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The EU-India deal, however, enjoys French support in principle. India is considered a strategic partner, and Paris sees the agreement as economically and geopolitically beneficial. The dispute is procedural, not substantive—yet procedural hurdles can be just as effective at stalling progress.
If the Commission's English-only approach becomes standard practice, it could set a precedent for future trade negotiations. That prospect alarms not only France but also other member states that value multilingualism as a cornerstone of EU identity. The bloc's motto, "United in diversity," is often invoked in this context.
The ratification process for the EU-India deal will now proceed, but the timeline is uncertain. The European Parliament's approval is required, and in some cases national parliaments also have a say. Any delay in translation could push the vote beyond the Commission's self-imposed deadline.
For now, the ball is in the member states' court. They must decide whether to accept the English-only text or insist on full translations before proceeding. The outcome will not only determine the fate of the EU-India agreement but also signal how the EU intends to handle trade deals in the future.
