Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began a four-day visit to France

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday embarked on a four-day visit to France where she will co-chair the India-France Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), hold meetings with leading global business leaders and participate in a series of high-level engagements aimed at deepening the strategic economic partnership between the two countries.

The India-France Economic and Financial Dialogue will be held in Aix-en-Provence, where Sitharaman will co-chair a meeting with French Economy Minister Roland Lescur. The dialogue will focus on identifying new areas of bilateral cooperation across sectors and strengthening economic and financial ties between the two nations, a government statement said on Wednesday.

The Finance Minister will also hold one-on-one meetings with selected global CEOs and participate in a roundtable discussion with leading industry executives. These interactions aim to highlight India’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals, ongoing structural reforms, expanding investment opportunities and long-term growth prospects, the statement said.

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He is also scheduled to participate in a panel discussion on “How to foster the growth of a new middle class” at Les Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence, one of Europe’s leading annual forums on global economic and public issues. Organized by Le Cercle des économistes, the event brings together heads of government, ministers, central bankers, entrepreneurs, economists and academics from around the world.

Sitharaman will also visit the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project at Cadarache. ITER is among the world’s largest international scientific collaborations in fusion energy, involving more than 30 partner countries, including India and France.

He will also visit Campus Cyber, France’s national center for cybersecurity innovation, research and skills development.

The government said the visit is expected to facilitate the exchange of best practices in strengthening cyber resilience and fostering innovation in the digital economy.

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In addition, Sitharaman will meet with Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region to discuss cooperation opportunities in investment, innovation, clean energy, technology and regional economic partnerships.

The finance minister will conclude her visit with a conversation with members of the Indian diaspora in France.

Expanding bilateral trade

The government said the visit underscores the country’s commitment to further strengthen its strategic economic partnership with France through closer cooperation in trade, investment, technology and innovation.

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Within the European Union, France is India’s third largest trading partner after the Netherlands and Germany. For 2025-26, India’s exports to France were €6.1 billion ($7.1 billion). Bilateral trade between India and France has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching €13.59 billion ($15.81 billion) in FY26.

Bilateral trade with France is expected to grow further with the signing of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement on 27 January 2026.

The Reserve Bank of India entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Banque de France (Central Bank of France) in March 2026, which provides for regular high-level dialogues, exchanges of experts and joint projects in areas specific to central banks.