NEW DELHI: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the 27-nation bloc’s political leadership will visit India next week to enhance trade, economic security and defence cooperation at a time of geopolitical turmoil in Europe caused by US President Donald Trump’s policies.
The trip by Von der Leyen and the European Union (EU) College of Commissioners, or political leaders of the 27 member states, is being described as unprecedented as it is rare for the entire leadership to jointly visit any foreign country. This is also one of the first foreign visits by the European Commission elected last year.
The EU announced on Friday its leadership will travel to New Delhi on February 27-28 to emphasise the importance of strengthening ties in key areas “vital to the prosperity and security of both Europe and India”.
Von der Leyen said Europe stands for openness, partnership and outreach in an era of intense geostrategic competition and seeks to deepen ties with “one of our most trusted friends and allies – India”.
Describing the two sides as like-minded partners bound by the “shared conviction that democracy best serves the people”, she added: “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.”
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the EU-India strategic partnership is “very important” for New Delhi. “We are looking forward to this particular conversation happening at the high level so that we can further strengthen the India-EU partnership,” he said. “All aspects of the relationship, including trade [and] technology issues, will be discussed during the visit.”
The EU College of Commissioners and the Indian government will hold a plenary session co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Von der Leyen. Members of the College will meet their Indian counterparts individually, and Von der Leyen and Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting.
The second meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) will also be held during the visit, with the EU being represented by vice-president Henna Virkkunen, high representative for foreign and security policy Kaja Kallas, and commissioners Maroš Šefčovič and Ekaterina Zaharieva.
The objective of the TTC is to boost collaboration on digital transition, green technologies and trade and investment. Among the issues it will discuss are collaboration on digital public infrastructure and its compatibility, resilience of key value chains, and cooperation on global trade issues, the EU said.
The EU leadership’s visit comes at a time when the bloc’s 27 members are being forced to consider a more independent approach to defence and security following Trump’s repeated attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he has called a “dictator”, and his claims that the war in Ukraine was not started by Russia. European states have also been concerned by Trump’s overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his efforts to negotiate an end to the war without involving Ukraine.
The visit follows Von der Leyen’s announcement of a new strategic agenda for India that will be presented at the EU-India Summit to be held later this year. The EU said that 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”.
The EU is India’s largest trading partner, with trade in goods valued at €124 billion in 2023, marking an increase of almost 90% in the past decade. Around 6,000 European companies are present in India, directly providing 1.7 million jobs. The two sides resumed negotiations on a free trade agreement in 2022, and the next round is scheduled to be held in Brussels during March 10-14.