India, EU review strategic tie progress
Both sides reviewed engagements towards boosting trade and investment cooperation, including the timely signing and implementation of the India-EU FTA.
New Delhi India and the European Union (EU) on Monday reviewed the progress of their Strategic Partnership during the seventh India-EU Strategic Partnership Review Meeting held in New Delhi, with discussions covering trade, investment, economic security, clean energy transition and critical technologies. The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary (West) Sibi George and Matti Maasikas, Deputy Secretary-General for Geoeconomics and Interinstitutional Issues of the European Union. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides reviewed the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Strategic Agenda adopted at the India-EU Summit in January 2026. The discussions covered the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment under the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), supply chains, economic security, clean transition, research, connectivity, critical technologies, talent mobility and people-to-people exchanges. The review comes ahead of the expected formal signing of the India-EU trade agreement. Last month, European Council President Antonio Costa announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit Brussels in December to sign the agreement. India and the European Union concluded negotiations on the FTA earlier this year. The proposed agreement is expected to create a market covering more than two billion people and accounting for approximately a quarter of the global economy. Meanwhile, India and the EU completed negotiations on Saturday for India's association with Horizon Europe, the European Union's flagship research and innovation programme. The association is expected to strengthen long-term research cooperation by enabling Indian researchers, institutions and industries to participate in funding opportunities through collaborative projects. It will also provide access to European research consortia and advanced research infrastructure, while promoting talent mobility and the joint development of critical technologies, standards and solutions.
