French Prime Minister Modi Emmanuel Macron Bharat Innovates 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron during the inauguration of Bharat Innovates 2026, India’s deep technology event, in Nice, France on June 14, 2026. | Photo credit: Reuters
At the launch of Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented India as a destination for innovation and development. Both the Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron focused on the topics of trust and cooperation in the field of technology.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Europe begins in Nice with a focus on technology and bilateral relations
“I seriously invite every investor, every university, every research institution and every entrepreneur…come to India… design in India. Develop in India. And create solutions for the world,” he said. Mr Macron also spoke at the event, which he inaugurated with Mr Modi. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Mayor of Nice were also present.
A decade ago, India was seen as a technology adopter, but now it is emerging as a technology provider, the Prime Minister said as he touted India’s innovation ecosystem, citing work in the defense and space sectors.
Referring to recent legislative changes (through the SHANTI Act) that allow private sector participation in the nuclear power sector, Mr. Modi said, “This creates new opportunities in clean energy, advanced reactors and frontier research.”
India and France had a relationship characterized by shared beliefs, connection, innovation and inspiration, as well as shared values and vision, Mr. Modi said.
Both the prime minister and Mr Macron spoke of trust in technology, with Mr Modi saying the world was looking for trusted, inclusive and human-centred technology.
“In recent days, we have seen the temptation to close off AI models and make them a powerful tool and end any cooperation,” Mr Macron said, possibly referring to the US government banning non-US citizens from accessing AI Anthropic’s state-of-the-art models.
India and France believe in “true partnership”, multilateralism and respect for cooperative artificial intelligence, Mr Macron said.
Mr. Goyal also mentioned trust as an issue in technology in his opening remarks, saying that right now the upheaval in geopolitics is clashing with the upheaval in technology.
He lectured at the Bharat Innovates program in France. Innovation, technology and the aspirations of our youth are driving India’s transformation and shaping the future.@BharatInnov2026
https://t.co/66fM69ixSl
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2026
“At times like these, the world looks for trusted and reliable partners and that is what India delivers,” he added.
Referring to India’s 2023 Chandrayaan-3 Lunar mission, Mr Macron said it demonstrated not only innovation but also industrial application.
India is not a country full of suppliers, but a country of innovation and technological revolutions, Macron said. The French president also addressed entrepreneurs and investors at the meeting, naming France as the best destination for artificial intelligence and technology. Mr Macron claimed that France was the only country whose development of LLM (Large Language Models, a type of AI) could compete with that of China and the US.
“‘Make in India’ is something we respect and are part of,” Macron said.
According to French diplomatic sources, France was willing to align its defense cooperation with India, including the proposed sale of 114 Rafale fighter jets to New Delhi under the “Make in India” programme, The Hindu reported last week.
After inaugurating the two-day event, the Prime Minister and the President held bilateral talks between their delegations.
Published – 14 Jun 2026 16:03 IST