This is John Baxter, a conversation with colleague Sadanan Dume, who writes for the editorial page

of the Wall Street Journal, a column East to East of the subcontinent, especially India.

And conversations about India and trade have led to an agreement with the EU that promises to

permit more or welcome more Indian nationals to

working in the EU. I was unaware of the restrictions. Sadanon characterizes them.

My interest is that so many Indian nationals are part of the success of Silicon Valley and the American economy in general in all areas, not just digital, and that the restrictions that by the European Union are very strange, out of date, odd.

We address that, but there are no details yet have emerged from the so-called agreement.

After 21 years of negotiating, 2007 to 2026, by the EU, a vendorline was in the room smiling.

So was Mr. Costa, the EU trade representative with shaking hands with Narendra Modi.

I'm glad they resolved it, but still, very odd, keeping the Indian nationals out of Europe,

which is always complaining about how it's not growing, how it doesn't have a Silicon Valley.

Well, okay.

I think they do see it. I think they also recognize that part of the immigration problem in the EU has been that they have been flooded by

illegal immigrants, many of them low-skill, many of them unable to contribute to a modern economy,

people coming across in boats and so on.

And they would much rather have high-skilled law-abiding, taxpaying immigrants from places like India.

That said, I think it's very difficult for any other country to replicate what the U.S. has.

Or I don't even think that many other states can replicate what Silicon Valley has.

That kind of unique culture of openness, meritocracy,

open hunger for talent, willingness to fail.

I mean, you talk to the Silicon Valley guys.

It's not they fail once, fail twice, fail three times, and that's fine. That's just

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