EU Leadership to Visit India, Signaling Stronger Ties Ahead
The full European Union College of Commissioners will travel together to India for the first time
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will arrive in India next week with a high-level delegation, a visit poised to bolster the growing partnership between New Delhi and Brussels as they mark two decades of strategic ties. Scheduled for February 27 and 28, the trip marks the first time the full European Union College of Commissioners will travel together to India, a gesture underscoring the deepening alignment between the two powers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who invited Ms. von der Leyen, will host her for delegation-level talks. The two-day visit will also feature the second ministerial meeting of the India-E.U. Trade and Technology Council, a forum launched in 2022 to boost cooperation in commerce and innovation, alongside bilateral discussions between European commissioners and their Indian counterparts.
This will be Ms. von der Leyen’s third trip to India, following a bilateral visit in April 2022 and the G20 Summit in September 2023. It comes early in the current European Commission’s term, which began in December 2024 after elections last June, making it one of the bloc’s first major overseas engagements under her continued leadership. The delegation’s arrival—the first of its kind to India—highlights Europe’s intent to elevate ties with a nation increasingly central to global economic and geopolitical shifts.
India and the E.U., strategic partners since 2004, have steadily expanded collaboration in trade, technology, and climate initiatives. Now entering their third decade of formal ties, both sides see the visit as a chance to build on shared priorities, though specific goals for the talks remain undisclosed.
The visit reflects a broader recalibration of alliances, as India balances its ambitions with regional challenges and the E.U. seeks to diversify its global partnerships.
