Brussels, Belgium — The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled plans to strengthen cooperation with India across key sectors including defence, technology, and trade, even as concerns linger in Europe over New Delhi’s close relationship with Moscow.
Talks between the two sides have gained momentum, with the European Union and India now in the final stages of negotiating a long-awaited free trade agreement. Officials on both sides expressed optimism that the landmark deal could be concluded by the end of the year, aiming to unlock new opportunities for businesses and enhance geopolitical cooperation.
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The push for closer ties reflects Europe’s recognition of India as a pivotal partner in global supply chains, digital transformation, and regional security. At the same time, it highlights Brussels’ pragmatic approach in balancing concerns over India’s stance on the Ukraine conflict with its strategic value as a counterweight to China in Asia.
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For Brussels, that means planned trade agreements with Mexico, South American bloc Mercosur, India and Indonesia. India sees promise in the European Union, but also in China and Russia.
India has increased purchases of Russian oil since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In the past month Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in China, and its troops joined a Russian-led military exercise. On Friday, US officials called on G7 and EU states to impose tariffs on China and India over Russian oil purchases.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas acknowledged the EU and India had “clear areas of disagreement” that were obstacles to deeper cooperation, but said the bloc did not want to push India into “Russia’s corner.”
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“The question is whether we leave this void to be filled by somebody else or we try to fill it ourselves,” she told a press conference.
In its document released on Wednesday setting out its vision, the Commission said the EU would further engage with India on curtailing Russia’s military and preventing circumvention of EU sanctions.
Despite tensions, the European Commission views India as a fellow upholder of the rules-based multilateral order, and hopes to benefit from its expected rise to become the world’s third largest economy in 2030, the document says.
The EU envisages the two sides negotiating agreements on investment protection and boosting air transport, collaborating on securing supply chains, on green hydrogen, on decarbonisation of heavy industry and on research and innovation.
They could also agree a defence and security partnership, as the EU already has with Japan and South Korea, and cooperate in projects in third countries, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
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