EU leaders attend India’s Republic Day ahead of 27 January India–EU summit
European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined India’s Republic Day parade as chief guests and prepared for a high-level India–EU summit in New Delhi on 27 January 2026. EU statements framed the visit as part of a broader effort to deepen ties across prosperity, sustainability, technology, innovation, and security.
A high-profile EU visit timed with Republic Day and a summit
Two of the European Union’s most senior leaders travelled to India around Republic Day, with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attending the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2026 as chief guests. The visit was closely tied to a high-level India–EU summit scheduled in New Delhi on 27 January 2026, placing diplomacy at the centre of this week’s headlines.
In an official readout, the European Council said the Republic Day role would mark the first time top EU leaders attended the Republic Day parade celebrations as guests of honour. The same note pointed to a strengthened bilateral relationship and referenced a strategic agenda covering prosperity and sustainability, technology and innovation, security and defence, and connectivity and global issues.
What the EU says it wants from deeper India ties
The EU has described the relationship with India in strategic terms, positioning cooperation as central to its global approach. The leadership’s presence in New Delhi is meant to support practical cooperation — spanning trade and investment, innovation, and coordination on security matters — while also signalling alignment on broader international challenges.
The visit also links India to the EU’s wider Indo-Pacific engagement, where Brussels has increasingly sought resilient supply chains and trusted partnerships. With global geopolitics and economic competition in flux, both sides have been framing the relationship as one that can deliver stability and growth beyond the immediate bilateral track.
Regional diplomacy continues after India
Following the India programme, the EU itinerary also included a Vietnam stop on 29 January 2026, reflecting a packed diplomatic calendar in Asia. The sequencing underlines the EU’s attempt to build a network of deeper partnerships in the region, and India’s Republic Day appearance served as the most public-facing moment of that outreach.