‘Proud of my Goa roots’: European Council chief pulls out OCI card at India-EU FTA announcement | Watch

President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa.

• European Council President Costa reveals his OCI card, highlighting Goa roots
• India and EU conclude historic Free Trade Agreement, boosting strategic ties
• Multiple key agreements signed, including security, mobility, and green hydrogen

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European Council President António Luís Santos da Costa, on Tuesday, surprised the audience at the announcement of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement by pulling out his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card mid-speech and speaking about his personal connection to India.

“I’m the President of the European Council, but I’m also an overseas Indian citizen. Then, as you can imagine, for me it has a special meaning. I’m very proud of my roots in Goa, where my father’s family came from, and the connection between Europe and India is something personal to me,” Costa said.

#WATCH | Delhi | President of the European Council, António Luís Santos da Costa, says, "I'm the President of the European Council, but I'm also an overseas Indian citizen. Then, as you can imagine, for me it has a special meaning. I'm very proud of my roots in Goa, where my… pic.twitter.com/wDMuNbzr3h

— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present along with EU President Ursula von der Leyen, was all smiles when he did that.

Antonio Costa's father was born and raised in Goa. He moved to Portugal at age 18 after Goa's liberation. Costa, known as 'Babush' in childhood—a common Konkani nickname—mentioned this during a joint briefing on Tuesday.

He said the conclusion of the trade negotiations marked a significant moment for both sides, recalling that talks were relaunched in May 2021 during his earlier tenure. According to Costa, the summit sent “a clear message to the world” at a time when the global order is being reshaped.

“At a time when the global order is being fundamentally reshaped, the European Union and India stand together as strategic and reliable partners. Today, we are taking our partnership to the next level,” he said, adding that as the world’s two largest democracies, India and the EU were working together to promote peace, stability, economic growth and sustainable development.

Stressing the economic and geopolitical importance of the agreement, Costa described trade as “a crucial geopolitical stabiliser and the fundamental source of economic growth”. He said trade agreements strengthen a rules-based economic order and promote shared prosperity, calling the India-EU FTA “of historic importance”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the conclusion of the FTA, describing it as “not just a trade agreement, but a blueprint for shared prosperity”. He said India-EU relations had grown exponentially in recent years, rooted in shared democratic values, economic synergy and strong people-to-people ties, while noting that bilateral trade currently stands at EUR 180 billion.

Highlighting the expanding scope of cooperation, Modi said India and the EU have built partnerships in strategic technology, clean energy, digital governance and development cooperation, with outcomes that would benefit all sections of society. Calling it the largest free trade agreement concluded by India so far, the Prime Minister said it would open new opportunities for farmers, small entrepreneurs and service providers.

India and the European Union also exchanged several key agreements and memoranda of understanding in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Costa. These included the strategy document titled ‘Towards 2030, a joint India-European Union Comprehensive Strategic Agenda’.

Among the documents signed were the political declaration on the conclusion of the India-EU FTA negotiations by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership signed by EU Vice President Kaja Kallas and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and the Comprehensive Framework on Cooperation on Mobility signed by Sefcovic and Jaishankar.

Other agreements covered cooperation on disaster risk management, the setting up of a green hydrogen task force, an MoU between the Reserve Bank of India and the European Securities and Markets Authority, and an administrative arrangement on advanced electronic seals and signatures.

*with ANI inputs