EU flags India as key partner as Costa and von der Leyen arrive for summit and Republic Day outreach

NEW DELHI/BRUSSELS: The European Council has positioned India as a core partner in its external strategy as European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travel to India for high-level engagements culminating in the 16th EU–India Summit on 27 January 2026.

In its announcement, the European Council said the two leaders will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi for discussions aimed at building on the EU–India strategic partnership. The agenda, as outlined by the EU side, places trade, security and defence, the clean transition and people-to-people cooperation at the centre of talks.

The visit also includes participation in India’s 77th Republic Day Parade on 26 January, with the EU describing it as the first time EU leaders have attended the Republic Day celebrations as chief guests—an indicator of the political weight both sides want to assign to the relationship at this stage.

The EU has linked the summit to a broader push to update its India strategy, including a focus on technology and innovation, connectivity and global issues. The stated intent is to align priorities where interests overlap—ranging from rules-based trade to resilient supply chains and strategic coordination—while keeping channels open on areas of disagreement.

For India, the timing—Republic Day followed by a summit—creates a tightly choreographed sequence that blends symbolism with negotiations. For the EU, it offers an opportunity to show that partnership-building in the Indo-Pacific is not only about crisis response but also about longer-term economic and technological cooperation with major democracies.