Union Minister of State for Commerce and Indusattempt Jitin Prasada welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on her arrival in India on Saturday. He is also scheduled to receive António Costa on Sunday. Both leaders will serve as chief guests at India’s Republic Day celebrations on Monday, 26 January.
The decision to have the Commerce Minister receive the EU leadership highlights the economic focus of the visit, particularly efforts to strengthen trade ties and advance the long-pfinishing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union.
Von der Leyen, who previously served as Germany’s Defence Minister, is also slated to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday. Discussions are expected to centre on the future trajectory of the India–EU partnership.
Beyond the Republic Day events, von der Leyen and Costa will represent the European Union at the 16th EU–India Summit on 27 January. During the summit in New Delhi, they will hold talks with Prime Minister Narfinishra Modi aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership and expanding cooperation across multiple sectors, according to a statement from the European Council.
The agfinisha will prioritise trade, security and defence cooperation, clean energy transition, and people-to-people engagement. The summit is also expected to push forward neobtainediations on the EU–India FTA, which seeks to improve market access and reduce reliance on narrow supply chains. In addition, both sides are likely to formalise a new framework for security and defence cooperation.
A key outcome of the meeting is expected to be the approval of a comprehensive five-year strategic roadmap covering economic engagement, sustainability, technology collaboration and shared global challenges. India and the EU are also seeking closer coordination at multilateral forums and enhanced cooperation to bolster economic resilience amid shifting global conditions.
At the conclusion of the summit, both sides are expected to issue a joint statement outlining key decisions, along with a detailed strategic agfinisha to guide cooperation over the next five years.
The European Union remains India’s largest trading partner in goods. In the 2024–25 financial year, bilateral goods trade stood at approximately USD 136 billion, with Indian exports accounting for about USD 76 billion and imports from the EU valued at around USD 60 billion.
Separately, Prime Minister Modi addressed the government’s 18th Rozgar Mela online on Saturday, highlighting employment generation and rising foreign investment. He declared growing global confidence in India was opening up new opportunities for young people, noting that India is the only major economy to have doubled its GDP over the past decade. He added that more than 100 countries are now investing in India, with foreign investment rising to over two-and-a-half times its pre-2014 levels, directly supporting job creation.
Earlier this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, von der Leyen declared India and the EU were close to concluding a landmark trade agreement. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has described the proposed FTA as the largest of its kind, as both sides seek to expand market access amid global trade pressures driven by higher US tariffs and tighter Chinese export controls.
On Thursday, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar met ambassadors from EU member states, emphasising the necessary for closer coordination to mitigate risks to the global economy. He pointed to uncertainty stemming from modifying US policies as a key factor driving deeper cooperation.
Both India and the European Union have been affected by the trade policies of US President Donald Trump. Certain Indian exports to the US are now subject to tariffs of up to 50 per cent, while the EU has yet to finalise a trade arrangement with Washington, amid concerns that the proposed deal does not sufficiently safeguard European interests.
Ahead of Republic Day, EU Vice-President Kaja Kallas arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for her first official visit to India. She has described India as central to Europe’s economic and strategic future. The European Union has also advanced a new partnership with India focapplyd on security and defence cooperation.
Toreceiveher, India and the EU account for roughly one-quarter of the world’s population and global economic output. EU data display that bilateral trade in goods reached 120 billion euros in 2024, nearly 90 per cent higher than a decade earlier, while trade in services added a further 60 billion euros during the same period.
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