President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “In this era of intense geostrategic competition, Europe stands for openness, partnership, and outreach. We seek to deepen ties with one of our most trusted friends and allies—India. Europe and India are like-minded partners, bound by the shared conviction that democracy best serves the people. That's why one of the first visits of the new Commission is to India. We are committed to strengthening our strategic partnership to advance trade, economic security, and resilient supply chains, along with a common tech agenda and reinforced security and defence cooperation.”

During the visit, the College of Commissioners and the Indian government will hold a plenary session, chaired by President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Modi. Members of the College will also meet their counterparts individually, while President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Modi will hold a bilateral meeting followed by a press point.

The second Trade and Technology Council (TTC) will convene during the visit, with the EU being represented by Vice-President Virkkunen,* and Commissioners Maroš Šef?ovi? and Ekaterina Zaharieva. The objective of the EU-India TTC is to boost collaboration on the digital transition, clean and green technologies and trade and investment. Concrete topics of discussion will include collaboration on digital public infrastructure and its compatibility, as well as resilience of key value chains and cooperation on global trade issues.

Background

The visit announced by President von der Leyen at Davos on 21 January marks a significant phase in EU-India relations.

As the world's two largest democracies, the European Union and India share a commitment to a rules-based global order, effective multilateralism, and sustainable development. Since 2004, India has been a strategic partner of the EU, and 2022 celebrated the 60th anniversary of their relations.

The collaboration between the EU and India from 2020 to 2025 is steered by the EU-India Strategic Partnership Roadmap, the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and the Global Gateway Strategy. There are over 50 EU-India sectorial dialogues. 

The EU is India's largest trading partner*, with trade in goods valued at €124 billion in 2023, with an increase of almost 90% in the last decade. Around 6,000 European companies are present in India, directly providing 1.7 million jobs and indirectly supporting 5 million jobs across various sectors. The new Federation of European Business in India (FEBI) will help to boost commercial ties. The EU and India resumed negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement in 2022 following the visit of President von der Leyen to New Delhi. The next round is scheduled on 10-14 March 2025 in Brussels.