External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa during a meeting in Delhi on January 25, 2026. Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar via PTI
India and the European Union are giving a “broken world” an alternative, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, even as the EU’s trade commissioner announced at the start of an EU delegation’s visit to Delhi that free trade agreement (FTA) talks were “nearing conclusion”. While the free trade agreement will be watched most closely in terms of bilateral gains for both countries, the timing of the summit, amid unprecedented transatlantic tensions between the EU and the United States over territorial issues and trade, is most important.
“India and Europe have made a clear choice… strategic partnership, dialogue and openness,” Ms Von Der Leyen said in a post on social media. We are showing a fragmented world that another way is possible,” she added.
Ms von der Leyen arrived in Delhi on Saturday (24 January 2026), after a tense week at the World Economic Forum conference in Davos, where many European leaders clashed with US President Donald Trump over his claims to Greenland and threats of tariffs. Earlier, the EU leadership was in Paraguay to sign a major free trade agreement between European and South American EU-MERCOSUR countries.
Both Ms Von Der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa were given a formal guard of honor at Delhi airport on Sunday (January 25, 2026) and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar invited them in the evening to set the agenda for the next two days of intense talks between India and the EU, including a Republic Day parade on Monday (January 26 and the EU-2026 summit, Sumidia on Tuesday, 2026). (January 27, 2026).
“India is a key partner for the EU. Together we share the capacity and responsibility to protect the rules-based international order,” Mr Costa said.
Mr Jaishankar also held talks with his counterpart EU Vice President/High Representative Kaja Kallas and described the “growing comfort and strong rapprochement of the India-European Union partnership” in a social media post.
According to an EU statement, the two sides will adopt a joint EU-India comprehensive strategic agenda during the visit, which will address security and defense ties, trade, technology partnerships and connectivity issues. They will also discuss global issues, including “the importance of an effective multilateral system, a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, Russia’s war against Ukraine and (and) the situation in the Middle East (West Asia),” the statement added. The strategic deal is also significant as it comes days after the US released its latest Defense Strategy 2026, which largely downplays ties with Europe and omits all mention of India.
While the statement did not confirm the EU-India free trade deal, which has been under negotiation since 2007 and was restarted in 2022 and was up for signature on Tuesday, it said the deal would boost bilateral trade and investment and “foster shared prosperity”.
“I can say with certainty that we are nearing the conclusion of our FTA negotiations. The culmination of an intense last year,” Maros Šefčovič said, adding that this was his tenth ministerial meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who confirmed that the FTA negotiations were “closer to a fruitful outcome.” According to reports, the two sides have made more progress in recent days on reduced tariffs and unprecedented market access to India for European companies and technology cooperation and job opportunities for Indians, despite issues in areas such as agricultural goods, car tariffs and environmental taxes.
EU Presidents Mr Costa and Mrs von der Leyen will attend the 77th Republic Day celebrations as chief guests on Monday. He will also attend the ‘At Home’ reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in the evening. Their summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be held on Tuesday, followed by a trade event. The EU is India’s largest trading partner in goods with bilateral trade exceeding $136 billion last year.
Published – 25 Jan 2026 21:27 IST
