European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will pay an official visit to India on February 27 and 28, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Accompanied by the European Union College of Commissioners, Ursula von der Leyen is visiting New Delhi, ten days before the start of the next round of negotiations on India EU Free Trade Agreement.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that this will be the first ever visit of the EU College of Commissioners together to India and among the first such visit since the start of the current European Commission in December 2024.
Leyen To Meet Zelenskyy Before Her Arrival
Interestingly, three days before she arrives in India, President Leyen is scheduled to meet President Zelenskyy in Kyiv and co-chair the College-to-Government meeting on February 24.
Leyen also met the Ukrainian President on the margins of the recently concluded Munich Security Conference.
It remains to be seen if the European Commission President will exchange her views on Ukraine with the Indian leadership.
Timing Of The Visit
Leyen’s visit has been scheduled a fortnight before the next round of negotiations on India EU Free Trade Agreement, in Brussels from March 10-15.
Her third visit to India is taking place at a time when India and EU have entered the third decade of the strategic partnership.
She had visited India for a bilateral official visit in April 2022.
The following year, Leyen visited India to attend the G 20 Leaders’ Summit in September.
Role Of The European Commission
Founded in 1958, the European Commission is the EU’s politically independent executive arm.
The Commission is the 27-member European Union’s most powerful institution.
It is alone responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
It speaks on behalf of all EU countries in international bodies, in particular in areas of trade policy and humanitarian aid.
The European Commission also negotiates international agreements for the EU.
Leyen’s Position On Ukraine
Notably, Leyen has spoken out in favour of Ukraine.
In her keynote speech at the recently concluded Munich Security Conference, Leyen warned that a failed Ukraine would weaken Europe and would also weaken the United States, while also emboldening authoritarian leaders around the world who are watching closely if invasions and violations of national borders can go without consequence.
Leyen said, “It is precisely for this that Europe has committed to support Ukraine. It has provided over €134 billion, more than anybody else – and that includes $52 billion in military aid, on par with the United States.”
The European Commission President said, “The EU has imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia, it has rid itself of its energy dependence, and it will work to accelerate the accession process of Ukraine.”
She commended President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s approach of constant work towards peace.
Meeting With Zelenskyy On the Margins Of The Conference
On the margins of the conference, President von der Leyen and European Council President, António Costa, met President Zelenskyy and reiterated the EU’s commitment to Ukraine and its willingness to put Ukraine in a position of strength ahead of any future negotiation.
Engagements In India
Prime Minister Modi will also hold delegation level talks with President Leyen.
The second ministerial meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council and bilateral ministerial meetings between the European Commissioners and their Indian counterparts, will also be held during the visit.
The MEA is optimistic that the visit of Leyen and the EU College of Commissioners, will pave the way for further strengthening bilateral ties based on growing convergences.
India EU Trade and Technology Council
The Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was launched by Prime Minister Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to India in April 2022.
The TTC aims to provide political leadership and ensure strategic focus in the partnership.
It enables both sides to respond to contemporary developments, encourage resilient and reliable supply chains and promote digital trust and transparency.
Both sides have established three Working Groups under the TTC.
The Council has working groupa on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity, Green and Clean Energy Technologies and Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains.
First Meeting Of The India – EU Trade and Technology Council
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry (CIM) Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (MOS), Rajeev Chandrasekhar, visited Brussels on 15-16 May 2023 to jointly co – chair the first Ministerial meeting of the India – EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) on May 16.
At that time, the three Ministers from India jointly met President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and had comprehensive discussions on India – EU bilateral issues covering trade, economy, security, and strategic issues.
They agreed to make the TTC a platform to guide the relationship to face new geopolitical challenges and derisk the global economy.
Both sides had in-depth discussions on a range of issues including semiconductors, high performance computing, digital public infrastructures, clean energy technologies and supply chain resilience.
The Ministers also exchanged views on strategic issues of significance like economic security and promoting connectivity projects in third geographies, including agreeing to identify projects for joint implementation
Modi Keen To Strengthen India EU Strategic Partnership
Prime Minister Modi and Ursula von der Leyen have met regularly on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.
On July 19 last year, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Ursula von der Leyen on being re-elected as the President of the European Commission.
PM Modi wrote that he looks forward to working together to strengthen the India EU strategic partnership for global good.
Ties Between India And EU
India and European Union are strategic partners since 2004.
The bilateral ties between India and EU have expanded and deepened across a wide range of areas.
The EU is India’s largest trading partner, with trade in goods valued at €124 billion in 2023, with an increase of almost 90% in the last decade.
Around 6,000 European companies are present in India, directly providing 1.7 million jobs and indirectly supporting 5 million jobs across various sectors.
The new Federation of European Business in India (FEBI) will help to boost commercial ties.
The EU and India resumed negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement in 2022 following the visit of President von der Leyen to New Delhi.
The next round is scheduled in Brussels in the coming month.
