Warsaw is preparing to send a large business delegation to India in the coming months to explore investment and partnership opportunities. The mission will combine government officials and private companies; a model Poland recently used during a major trade visit to Saudi Arabia.
“This is what we call economic diplomacy,” Michal Baranowski, Poland’s deputy minister for economic development and technology said during a recent visit to Delhi. “We bring the government and business together to create partnerships and support companies entering new markets.”
Relations between the two countries received a boost following Narendra Modi’s visit to Poland in 2024. Baranowski said Warsaw now expects a reciprocal visit by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to India in the coming months.
“We are looking at a partnership that operates at the strategic level, with strong political ties, a growing economic dimension and increasing defence cooperation,” he said.
Poland is working to ease visa processes and reduce backlogs so that skilled Indian professionals can work in Polish companies or Indian firms operating in Poland.
“We want to make sure that Indian professionals who want to work in Poland have smoother access,” Baranowski said.
Defence, Space
Baranowski said security and defence cooperation is an expanding area, with Polish companies already working on projects in India.
“Security and defence is clearly a growing area where India is a very good partner,” he said, noting that some initiatives are already underway while others remain commercially sensitive.
Space cooperation is another emerging field, potentially complementing existing collaboration between India and the European Space Agency.
“We see strong opportunities for Poland-India industry cooperation in space technologies,” he said.
Other sectors identified for growth include food processing, information technology and digital services.
EU-India FTA
Baranowski described the India-EU FTA as arriving at a critical moment in global geopolitics and geoeconomics, when both Europe and India are seeking to diversify trade relationships.
“Europe and India are both looking to strengthen partnerships with countries that share our interests and values,” he said. “India, the world’s largest democracy, and Europe, one of the oldest democratic traditions, are natural partners in strengthening a rules-based economic order.”
The agreement, negotiated over nearly two decades, is now undergoing legal review before ratification.
“There is a big push to finalize it as quickly as possible. We believe it could be fully ratified by the end of the year,” he said.
The FTA is expected to liberalise tariffs on around 96 percent of EU exports to India and more than 99 percent of Indian exports to the EU, creating billions of euros in potential trade benefits.
Divisions Over War
Diverging positions among NATO members over the escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran have highlighted differences within the alliance, but Poland says the priority remains diplomacy and de-escalation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Baranowski noted that while countries within NATO may hold varied views, including the position taken by Pedro Sánchez’s government in Spain, allies broadly agree on the need to prevent the conflict from escalating.
“It’s always difficult to comment directly on the position of another allied country,” Baranowski said. “But we all understand that the United States is a critical ally in security and economic matters. What unites us is the push for a diplomatic path and de-escalation.”
The conflict, he warned, could have significant global economic implications, particularly through disruptions to energy supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Poland, like many countries, has already seen pressure on energy prices and availability.
“We have diversified our sources of oil and LNG, but the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz remain an important corridor,” he said, adding that Warsaw is also focused on ensuring the safe evacuation of its citizens from the region.
