PM Modi's major Europe visit next month: Croatia, Norway and Netherlands

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be on a major three-nation Europe tour, Croatia, Norway and the Netherlands, next month. This visit is being planned formid-May and comes even as India and Europe have seen a number of engagements this year. Earlier this year, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and her cabinet visited India, and later this year, an India-European Union summit is being planned.

Growing India-Norway ties

The visit is significant for India-Norway relations, as both nations seek to bolster trade under the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), signed last year and ratified by Norway. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, valued at over $1 trillion, is a major investor in India. Cooperation in renewable energy, maritime industries, the blue economy, and Arctic affairs has been part of the conversation between the two countries, with Norway supporting India’s International Solar Alliance and its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

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3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo

The centrepiece of the visit will be PM Modi’s participation in the third India-Nordic Summit in Oslo on May 15, followed by bilateral engagements on May 16. The India-Nordic Summit, which brings together India and the five Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—aims to deepen cooperation in trade, innovation, green energy, climate change, and sustainable development. The first edition of the summit took place in 2018 in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, followed by the 2nd summit in Denmark's Copenhagen.

Last week PM Modi had a conversation with Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb during which the upcoming summit was discussed. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was looking forward to the 3rd India-Nordic Summit scheduled to be held later this year in Norway, and his meeting with Prime Minister Frederiksen at that time", said the Indian Readout on PM Modi & Denmark PM talks.

1st ever Indian PM's Croatia visit

Indian Prime Minister's visit begins in Croatia, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to the Adriatic nation. The visit will focus on strengthening economic ties, with Croatia’s strategic location along the Adriatic Sea positioning it as a potential partner in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. The mega economic corridor was announced during the Delhi G20 summit in 2023. Italy has proposed the nearby port of Trieste as a key hub for this ambitious connectivity project.

India and Croatia have intensified engagement in recent years, with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visiting the country in 2021 and Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Rodman's visit to New Delhi in 2023. Last year, foreign office consultations in Delhi reviewed progress in trade, defence, and cultural ties.

Firming up ties with Netherlands

The last stop on the visit will be the Netherlands, a country PM Modi had visited in 2017 as well. The visit is expected to elevate bilateral ties, building on the “strategic partnership in water" launched in 2021. The Netherlands is India’s 11th-largest global trading partner and the largest in the European Union, with robust economic ties complemented by a significant Indian diaspora—the second largest in Europe after the United Kingdom.