On 8th May 2021, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, India and the European Union meet virtually to hold their 16th Summit, in which they will take steps to negotiate a free trade agreement. The diplomatic summit is closed to civil society and stakeholders whose future the Summit will influence in the short- and long-term. To understand how these two plural and multicultural democracies can positively engage with each other, we host the first ever People’s Summit from 1-8 May 2021.