E-Paper
India, Europe showing way to a ‘fractured world’: Von der Leyen
India and the EU are set to strengthen ties through a strategic partnership, concluding a trade deal and focusing on security and mutual resilience.
India and Europe have opted for a strategic partnership by leveraging their complementary strengths and building mutual resilience to show a new path to a “fractured world”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday ahead of the India-European Union (EU) Summit that is expected to mark the conclusion of talks on a trade deal.
After a meeting with Von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa — who will be the chief guests at the Republic Day celebrations on Monday — external minister S Jaishankar said the India-EU Summit on Tuesday will mark a new chapter in bilateral relations. Jaishankar also met the EU’s security and foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
Costa and Von Der Leyen will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the India-EU Summit on Tuesday, when the two sides will unveil several key deliverables to bolster relations in areas ranging from trade and investment to security and mobility. The two sides are expected to formally announce the conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) that will be signed later in the year and finalise a Security and Defence Partnership.
“India and Europe have made a clear choice. The choice of strategic partnership, dialogue and openness. Leveraging our complementary strengths. And building mutual resilience. We are showing a fractured world that another way is possible,” Von der Leyen said on social media.
India and the EU have been engaged in hectic last-mile discussions on the FTA, negotiations for which were resumed in 2022 after a gap of almost a decade. The leadership of the two sides set a target last year for concluding the negotiations by the end of 2025, and talks were spurred in recent months by the geoeconomic churn created by the trade policies of the US.
Jaishankar noted in a social media post that it was a “great privilege” to have Costa and Von der Leyen as chief guests for the 77th Republic Day, and added: “Confident that their upcoming discussions with Prime Minister @narendramodi will herald a new chapter in India-European Union relations.”
Costa, who is of Indian origin, said on social media that the India-EU partnership is “strong and growing”, ranging from “trade and security to the clean transition and vibrant people-to-people connections”.
This is only the second time — after Asean in 2018 — that India has invited the leaders of a bloc to be chief guests at the Republic Day, an honour reserved for the country’s closest strategic and economic partners.
Jaishankar also said on social media that he and Kallas had a “wide ranging and productive conversation” that reflected the “growing comfort and strong convergences of the India-European Union partnership”. They agreed on intensifying exchanges and taking forward a cooperative agenda, he said.
Commerce minister Piyush Goyal too met EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, and noted that sustained and constructive engagement between the two sides over the past year has “brought us closer to a fruitful outcome”.
“The European Union remains a vital economic & strategic partner for India, and we value our shared commitment to a mutually beneficial, ambitious India-EU FTA for the prosperity of our businesses and people,” he added.
Šefčovič noted this was his 10th in-person engagement with Goyal as the two sides neared the conclusion of FTA negotiations. “The cumulation of an intense past year — likely my most frequent trade engagement — reflecting its importance,” Šefčovič said.
Von der Leyen arrived in New Delhi on Saturday while Costa flew into the national capital on Sunday, and both leaders were received at the airport by minister of state for commerce Jitin Prasada. Since both EU leaders arrived on commercial flights, they were accorded a ceremonial welcome and a guard of honour on Sunday. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the India-EU partnership as one of “trust and reliability” and noted that the visit of the EU leaders will deepen the bilateral strategic partnership.
The EU is India’s largest trading partner, accounting for trade in goods worth €124 billion in 2023. Two-way trade in services was valued at €59.7 billion in 2023.
