When European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa sits across the table from Indian leaders to push forward the long-pending India-European Union Free Trade Agreement, the moment carries more than institutional significance. For Costa, it is also deeply personal.
The soft-spoken Portuguese leader often recalls that his earliest memories of India are not shaped by policy papers or summits, but by family stories. Costa’s father, Orlando da Costa, was a well-known writer and intellectual who was born in Goa when it was still under Portuguese rule. Though Antonio Costa himself was born and raised in Portugal, India has long occupied a quiet but enduring space in his family history.
That personal lineage gives Costa an emotional stake in strengthening ties between Europe and India at a time when both sides are seeking to recalibrate their economic and strategic partnerships. For him, the India-EU FTA is not merely a trade instrument; it represents a bridge between two worlds that have shaped his own identity.
Friends and colleagues describe Costa as someone who carries a strong awareness of Portugal’s historical connections with India, while being equally conscious of the need to move beyond colonial legacies toward a relationship based on equality, mutual respect and shared growth. In speeches and interactions, he has repeatedly underlined India’s emergence as one of the world’s most important economic and geopolitical actors, a partner Europe cannot afford to sideline.
The negotiations for the India-EU FTA, relaunched after a long hiatus, have been complex, touching sensitive areas such as market access, digital trade, sustainability standards, intellectual property and mobility of professionals. Yet Costa has emerged as a vocal advocate for ambition on both sides, arguing that a comprehensive agreement could reshape Europe’s engagement with the Global South and anchor India more firmly within Europe’s economic ecosystem.
Those who know him say his interest in India goes beyond diplomacy. Costa has spoken of his desire to visit Goa, the land of his father’s birth, not simply as a political figure but as someone seeking to connect with a personal past. That sense of connection, subtle yet persistent, adds a human layer to what is otherwise a highly technical trade negotiation.
At a time when global supply chains are being redrawn and geopolitical fault lines are sharpening, Costa sees India as a natural partner for Europe’s diversification strategy. The FTA, in his view, is central to unlocking investment flows, boosting two-way trade and creating new opportunities in clean energy, digital technologies, pharmaceuticals and advanced manufacturing.
For India, the deal promises deeper access to one of the world’s largest consumer markets and a stronger voice in shaping global trade norms. For Europe, it offers a chance to secure a foothold in the world’s fastest-growing major economy. For Costa, it is also about honouring a personal history that quietly binds him to the subcontinent.
Diplomats involved in the talks note that Costa often frames India-EU relations in terms of long-term partnership rather than short-term transactional gains. This approach resonates with New Delhi’s own emphasis on strategic autonomy and multipolar engagement.
As negotiations inch closer to a political conclusion, Costa’s dual role—as Europe’s chief consensus-builder and as someone with an inherited connection to India—adds a distinctive dimension to the process. The India-EU FTA may ultimately be judged by tariff schedules and regulatory chapters, but for Antonio Costa, it also represents something less tangible: a symbolic closing of a circle that began generations ago.
In a world where diplomacy is frequently reduced to talking points and communiques, Costa’s personal link to India serves as a reminder that history, identity and memory still shape the motivations of those at the negotiating table.