External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and European Union’s top leadership met in New Delhi on Sunday ahead of the expected India-EU trade deal.European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met the EAM. Costa arrived in New Delhi today while von der Leyen had arrived yesterday.Jaishankar posted on social media platform X, saying, “Delighted to welcome President Costa and President von der Leyen.”The EAM said he was confident that the upcoming discussions of EU leaders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi would herald a new chapter in the India-EU relations. The two European leaders have arrived in India with their delegations as India and the EU seek to seal a free trade pact, capping nearly two decades of negotiations.Earlier in the day, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security of the EU, Maros Sefcovic. Goyal said, “Pleased to agree that sustained and constructive engagement between us and our teams over the past year has brought us closer to a fruitful outcome.”“The European Union remains a vital economic and strategic partner for India, and we value our shared commitment to a mutually beneficial, ambitious India-EU FTA for the prosperity of our businesses and people,” Goyal said.Costa and von der Leyen are chief guests for this year’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Monday. The EU-India summit is slated for Tuesday, where the two are likely to agree on what was referred to by von der Leyen as the “mother of all deals”.The Ministry of External Affairs posted on social media platform X, saying, “EU’s Antonio Costa arrives in India as talks intensify on free trade pact”. He was received by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada.The summit on Tuesday will be an opportunity to build on the India-EU strategic partnership. The EU and India — both unhappy over the developments triggered by US President Donald Trump — look to rely on each other for trade and technology.Bilateral trade in goods reached 120 billion euros ($139 billion) in 2024, an increase of nearly 90 per cent over the past decade, according to EU figures, with a further 60 billion euros ($69 billion) in trade in services.