European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in the capital on Saturday on a state visit and was received by Trade and Industry Minister Jitin Prasada.
Von der Leyen, along with European Council President António Luis Santos da Costa, will serve as chief guests at India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations on Monday.
Read also | Republic Day: When will the main guests António Costa and Ursula der Leyen arrive?
Apart from the Republic Day event, the two presidents will represent the EU at the 16th EU-India summit scheduled to be held on 27 January.
According to a European Council press release, the two presidents will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi for a summit aimed at building the EU-India strategic partnership and further strengthening cooperation in key policy areas.
“Trade, security and defence, clean transition and people-to-people cooperation will be the main points on the discussion agenda,” the statement said.
“On top of historic trade deal”
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week, von der Leyen said: “We are on the cusp of a historic trade deal (with India).” Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has described the proposed free trade deal as the “mother of all deals” as New Delhi and Brussels seek to expand market access amid tightening global trade conditions driven by US tariffs and Chinese export restrictions.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met ambassadors from European Union member states and stressed the need for closer cooperation to “endanger the world economy” in response to unpredictable US policies.
Both India and the European Union have been affected by US President Donald Trump’s trade approach. India faces tariffs of up to 50 percent on some exports to the United States, while the EU has yet to ratify a trade deal with Washington that has been criticized as unbalanced.
Ahead of two Republic Day chief guests, EU Vice President Kaja Kallas landed in the nation’s capital on her first official visit to India on Saturday, describing India as “essential” to Europe’s economic and strategic future, according to news agency ANI. The 27-nation bloc also advanced a new security and defense partnership with India.
Together, India and the European Union account for about a quarter of the world’s population and gross domestic product. According to EU data, bilateral trade in goods will reach 120 billion euros in 2024, an increase of almost 90 percent over the past decade, while trade in services will reach another 60 billion euros.
Who is Ursula von der Leyen?
Ursula holds the position of president European Commission since 2019. Ursula von der Leyen was born on October 8, 1958 in Brussels to a Turkish-German family of mixed origin and is a doctor by profession. Between 2013 and 2019, she was Minister of Labor for the Family and Minister of Defense in Germany.
Itinerary of President von der Leyen in India
-24. January 2026: Arrival in New Delhi
-25. January 2026: President von der Leyen in India. He meets together with the President of the European Council With JaishankarMinister of External Affairs of India
-26. January 2026: President von der Leyen in India: together with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, participates in the 77th Republic Day celebrations in India; missing Draupadi MurmuPresident of India.
-27. January 2026: President von der Leyen meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi, participates in the EU-India Business Forum. attends a banquet hosted by President Murmu; meets CP Radhakrishnan, Vice President of India.
We are on the cusp of a historic trade deal (with India).
-27. January 2026: President Von der Leyen in India and European Council President António Costa attend 16th EU-India Summit.
