Daily Briefing: EU-India roadmap

On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. 👇

🚨 Big Story

India has charted out an “intensive” roadmap with the European Union, spanning the next five months, which would involve a series of 10 meetings and an India-EU leaders summit early next year. Both sides have been negotiating the Free Trade Agreement over the last 12 months.

As things stand: The push for a bilateral deal with the 27-member bloc comes amid the global uncertainty over US-imposed tariffs. While India’s trade deal with the US remains elusive for now, it signed an agreement with the UK in July. With the EU, officials are currently working through at least 26 chapters of the agreement, of which 11 have been finalised. Two of the EU’s top negotiators, European Commissioner for Trade, Maros Sefcovic, and Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, will be in Delhi this week to lead the talks.

The bug: One sticking point is the contentious Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes a tariff on imports linked to “carbon emissions.” The EU has refused to make CBAM part of the trade negotiations, insisting it is central to its broader climate goals. However, its recent flexibility on CBAM in a trade deal with the US offers hope that similar concessions may be possible for India.

⚡Only in Express

Last week, Maratha reservation protests gripped Maharashtra, bringing Mumbai to a standstill. The agitation ended with a new government resolution (GR) allowing Marathas to claim Kunbi status through the “Hyderabad Gazette.” Soon after, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde joined us for an Idea Exchange session, where he unpacked the making of the GR, shared his outlook on the upcoming local body elections and weighed in on the Opposition’s vote theft allegations. Read.

📰 From the Front Page

Online: In the country’s first fully digital Census, the digitisation will begin at the enumerator level itself. Sources told The Indian Express that the nearly 34 lakh enumerators who would be deployed to conduct the exercise will use their own smartphones to collect the data and transfer it to the central server through dedicated mobile applications.

Shield: Hostilities after Operation Sindoor exposed gaps in India’s air surveillance network, as Pakistan breached Indian airspace with swarms of drones. To plug this vulnerability, the Indian Army plans to procure new radar systems capable of detecting, tracking, and engaging aerial objects along the northern and western borders.Here’s whatyou need to know.

(S)heroes:Punjab’s flood-hit districts are facing a new crisis: a severe lack of hygiene. Many women have no access to sanitary pads or menstrual care, leading to a spike in fungal infections, UTIs, and allergies. Amid this, women have stepped up. Some are leading medical support and cleanliness drives, others are distributing essential supplies, while NREGA women workers are filling sandbags to reinforce river embankments. Here’s how women are driving relief effortsacross Punjab.

🎧 For more on the Punjab floods, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’podcast episode.

📌 Must Read

Double-edged: US tariffs aren’t just hurting Indian exporters; they are hitting American shoppers too. With higher duties, Indian producers are getting edged out by cheaper competitors. At the same time, everyday essentials in the US are getting more expensive. The irony could not be sharper, writes former director of IIFT, Manoj Pant, as he reflects on lessons learnt for India.

Dipped: India may be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, but it has failed to attract significant foreign investment. In fact, data show foreign capital inflows are at a decade-and-a-half low. We explain why.

⏳ And Finally…

Are you looking to buy or renew your health and term insurance? Is it better to do so now or wait for the GST reforms to kick in on September 22? Hitesh Vyas explains how insurers will fare under the new regime, andwhat it means for you.

Also read: Food delivery services like Zomato and Swiggy are set to get pricier under the new regime as they will attract an 18 per cent levy. But what happens to the ride-hailing apps like Uber and Ola, where the difference in subscription and commission models has left GST reforms in legal ambiguity?

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,

Sonal Gupta

Business As Usual by EP Unny