India and the European Union (EU) are working on a security and defence partnership that will allow the two sides to jointly tackle common threats such as cross-border terrorism and attacks on critical infrastructure, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday.
The proposed partnership will build on work already being done by the two sides in areas such as maritime security and could pave the way for India joining the EU’s defence industrial projects and diversify its military supplies, Von der Leyen said while delivering a speech at an event organised by the magazine India’s World.
The two sides, she announced, are “exploring a future security and defence partnership…in the mould of the partnerships we have with Japan and South Korea”. The partnership will bolster joint efforts to counter common threats such as “cross-border terrorism, maritime security threats, cyber-attacks or the new phenomenon we see: attacks on our critical infrastructure”.
Von der Leyen said, “This is not only about stability in our respective regions. But it is also a key part in strengthening our economic security and ultimately our prosperity. And this is why security should be a core part of our new strategic partnership with India.”
She added, “There is a lot that we can build on. For instance, the recent collaboration on maritime security.”
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India and the EU conducted their first joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Guinea in October 2023, and this was followed a month later by the posting of the first military attaché at the EU mission in New Delhi, reflecting the intensification of defence and security ties. The EU currently has military attachés in fewer than 15 countries.
In February 2022, the EU launched a coordinated maritime presence in the northwestern Indian Ocean to ensure a European naval presence in the Indo-Pacific. Besides regular maritime security dialogues, a joint team from India’s armed forces and the external affairs ministry visited Brussels for the first time in 2024 for talks on security issues.
Ahead of Von der Leyen’s visit, the two sides were working on other building blocks to intensify defence and security cooperation. This includes a new strategic dialogue on foreign policy issues, the elevation of security and defence talks to the level of the defence secretary, closer collaboration on homeland security issues and the posting of an EU liaison officer at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), which plays a critical role in monitoring shipping in regional waters.
Von der Leyen also said India has expressed interest in joining defence industrial projects under the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation. “India is working hard to diversify its military supply and to access new capabilities. And I believe we can help each other to deliver on our security objectives,” she said.
The two sides, she said, can join forces where they each have technology and expertise, such as cyber security, drones and space.
While listing cooperation in security and stability among the three essential pillars of India-EU relations, Von der Leyen also raised the impact of conflicts in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Despite the geographical distance between Europe and India, she said the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could impact other parts of the world.
“In Europe, Russia’s goal is to tear Ukraine apart. And we should be clear about what is at stake here. A failed Ukraine would not only weaken Europe…But a failed Ukraine would also intensify the challenges in other parts of the world. Not least in this region,” she said, with an eye on China.
“Other countries around the world are watching very closely whether there is any impunity if you invade a neighbour or violate international borders. Or whether there are real deterrents,” she said.
Calling for talks that lead to a just and lasting peace and a “free and prosperous Ukraine that can join the European family”, Von der Leyen said: “We will step up our defence spending to ensure that member states have access to the full spectrum of capabilities that this new reality demands. But we also want to step up cooperation with crucial partners like India.”