Behind the success of every marriage lies an alignment of values. Even a shotgun one. The January 27 trade deal between the world’s largest economic bloc and the world’s most populous country has been described as the ‘mother of all deals’ by European Union (EU) chief, Ursula von der Leyen. Triggered by the Donald Trump administration’s hasty tariffs and riling of allies, the deal has the potential to be more than a mere trade agreement. But for it to become a beneficial partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will have to change its approach towards ‘human rights’ and the ‘rule of law’. Trade stability is best enabled through the assurance of justice for all. It is notable that the EU-India deal was sealed to coincide with India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations which mark the adoption of the country’s constitution which includes strong human rights protections. The constitution draws from the values that underpinned India’s freedom struggle whose success catalysed movements across the world and triggered the dissolution of European colonialism in much of Africa and Asia in the 20th century. In the last century, even if India was not seen as a global economic powerhouse, it was seen as a moral force in international affairs as a founder of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War, as one of the leading proponents of diplomatic isolation of apartheid South Africa, and as a steadfast supporter of Palestinian people’s freedom.India’s constitution commits to promoting international peace and security and to foster respect for international law and treaty obligations. Yet, in the 21st century, as India’s economic heft has grown, its foreign policy has become overtly transactional. It has strayed from Gandhian values that urge alignment between means and ends. At the same time, respect for human rights and civil society have sharply declined at home. Today, India is ranked in the second lowest ‘repressed’ category on the CIVICUS Monitor, which measures civic freedoms around the world. Authorities persist in targeting activists, journalists, students, and civil society through the misuse of draconian laws, arbitrary detention and criminalisation of dissent.Abuse of India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act has blocked international funding, including from the EU for civil society organisations working on constitutionally guaranteed human rights. But regulations have been loosened considerably to enable foreign companies to acquire natural resources and operate freely in the country. A key rule of law challenge is prolonged imprisonment without trial of several peaceful human rights defenders under anti-terror and national security legislation. The cases of Khurram Parvez, Sonam Wangchuk, Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand out. Khurram Parvez, coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, remains imprisoned without trial since November 2021. UN experts have termed his detention as arbitrary. Sonam Wangchuk, an advocate for Ladakh people’s rights to statehood has been detained since September 2025 under the National Security Act. This regressive law is based on colonial-era legislation. It allows anyone to be held for as much as a year without trial on broad grounds of being a “threat to national security or public order”. A mere administrative rather than a judicial decision is enough to deprive someone of their freedom. Similarly, student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been languishing in prison since 2020. They were detained for leading protests against controversial changes in citizenship legislation. Denial of a fair and speedy trial erodes the promise of life and liberty under the Indian constitution. The EU too, is not immune from anti-rights developments. There has been a perceptible rise in intolerance of civil disobedience by environmental and human rights activists. Also, pro-Palestinian protestors urging action against Israeli genocide have been violently suppressed at times. This has resulted in the erosion of civic freedoms in several EU democracies. France, Germany and Italy were downgraded to the CIVICUS Monitor’s middle tier ‘obstructed’ category in 2025.Notably, the EU has a values based Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) framework. Consolidation of democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are its key pillars. The EU’s response to Russia’s war crimes and the Myanmar junta’s crimes against humanity has rightly been robust. But the response to the Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people has been tepid undermining consistency.By contrast, India’s foreign policy doctrine of multi-alignment maximises self-interest, framed as pragmatism. Despite invoking the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which translates to English as seeing the world as one family, India’s foreign policy response to grotesque abuses against civilians by Russian, Myanmar and Israeli forces has been strikingly indifferent, weakening the country’s standing in the world. Today, EU and India find themselves squeezed between the imperialist ambitions of the leaders of China, Russia and the United States. Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Trump appear keen to carve up spheres of influence among themselves. Lessons from history point to likely collision of their ambitions, which will be catastrophic for the world. EU and India have an opportunity to transform their recently inked trade agreement into a meaningful partnership that benefits the world. But to make a difference, both partners must prioritise respect for human rights and the rule of law – at home and abroad.Mandeep S. Tiwana is secretary general of civil society alliance, CIVICUS.