President von der Leyen and the College in India to deepen EU-India strategic partnership
President Ursula von der Leyen and the College of Commissioners are in India today to strengthen the strategic partnership between the European Union and India. Europe is committed to enhancing cooperation with India, one of its most trusted partners and allies, across various sectors, including trade, technology, and defence.
President von der Leyen met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to conclude a free trade agreement by the end of the year.
President von der Leyen delivered a keynote speech on the need to realign EU-India relations to address today’s global challenges and spoke at a joint press point with Prime Minister Modi.
The President stressed the need to step up security and defence cooperation on land, at sea and in space, and reiterated that artificial intelligence should be at the heart of our Strategic Agenda, based on the shared belief that technology should serve the people.
Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, Commissioner Maros Šefčovič, and Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva also co-chaired the second meeting of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council. Discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in critical areas such as semiconductors, clean energy, and digital transformation. The Commissioners also held bilateral meetings with their Indian counterparts.
The discussions held today will feed into the reflection on a new Strategy Agenda which the Commission will table before the upcoming EU-India Summit later this year.