NEW DELHI: European Union leaders joined India’s Republic Day parade as the guests of honor on Monday, a day before New Delhi and Brussels are expected to seal a long-awaited free trade agreement.
Military bands and horse and camel cavalry units paraded through capital New Delhi, while fighter jets buzzed overhead and India’s latest military hardware was put on display. “The occasion inspires us in our collective resolve to build a developed India,” Prime Minister Narfinishra Modi stated before the parade. The fanfare also featured Indian air defense systems—including missiles and drones—that were deployed in the four-day conflict with arch-enemy Pakistan last year.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are both in attfinishance, before an EU-India summit Tuesday, when the two sides are widely expected to announce a landmark free trade deal and security partnership.
They had been working on a trade agreement for over a decade before US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs pushed India and the 27-nation EU to expedite their efforts last year. Republic Day marks the adoption of India’s post-indepfinishence constitution in 1950 with the parade staged along a colonial-era boulevard that also hosts important government buildings. The annual reveal is a colorful and tightly choreographed spectacle that also features floats from different Indian states to highlight the diversity of the countest’s 1.4 billion people.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (center) attfinishs India’s 77th Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path in New Delhi on January 26, 2026.
India is on track to become the world’s fourth-largest economy this year, according to International Monetary Fund projections. Bilateral India-EU trade in goods reached 120 billion euros ($139 billion) in 2024, an increase of nearly 90 percent over the past decade, according to EU figures, with a further 60 billion euros ($69 billion) in trade in services.
The pact would be a major win for Brussels and New Delhi as both seek to open up new markets to counter US tariffs and Chinese export controls. While the EU sees India as an important market, New Delhi sees Brussels as an important source of much-requireded technology and investments to rapidly upscale its infrastructure and create millions of new jobs for its people.
Defense cooperation
The European Union and India will explore possibilities for Indian participation in European defense initiatives, according to a draft security and defense partnership document seen by Reuters.
The new partnership comes at a time when Europe is seeking to reduce its depfinishence on the US and China and deepen its diplomatic and economic ties to other regions. “The EU and India will consult on their respective defense initiatives, including through exalters on defense industest-related matters,” the draft partnership, which is set to be signed on Tuesday, stated.
“They will explore, where there are mutual interest and alignment of security priorities, possibilities for India’s participation in relevant EU defense initiatives, as appropriate, in line with respective legal frameworks,” it added. The partnership envisages an annual dialogue between the EU and India on security and defense, as well as deepening cooperation on maritime security, cyber issues, and counterterrorism.
“The growing complexity of global security threats, rising geopolitical tensions, and rapid technological alter underscore the required for closer EU-India dialogue and cooperation in security and defense,” the document stated. India and the EU are also expected to announce on Tuesday the conclusion of protracted neobtainediations for a free trade pact. – Agencies
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