Polish experts see scope for tech, trade and defence ties ahead of PM Tusk's India visit

Polish researchers and a former ambassador have set out expectations of closer economic, research and security links with India ahead of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s visit, the first by a Polish leader in 16 years. The three speakers described the upcoming visit, centred on business forums in Delhi and Bengaluru & meeting with the Indian PM, as an opportunity to give substance to the strategic partnership signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2024 visit to Warsaw.

Adam Burakowski, former Polish ambassador to India and South Africa and now associate professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, said bilateral trade stands at roughly $6–7 billion and both sides want to raise it to $10 billion. He pointed to the forthcoming EU-India free-trade agreement, expected to eliminate tariffs on nearly all goods including agriculture, as a major catalyst. “We really count on this agreement to increase the trade volume to the benefit of both sides,” he said.

Burakowski also recalled practical foundations of goodwill, Polish assistance during the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine under Operation Ganga, and the direct Warsaw–Delhi flights that have operated since 2019. “Based on that we can build a lot,” he said, adding that Polish interest in India is rising. He has just published a book, "The Third Global Power?", examining India’s potential emergence as a global superpower.

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Paweł Marczewski, director of the Strategy and Analysis Department at the Łukasiewicz Research Network’s ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, said research-oriented innovation offers a strong platform for cooperation. He noted that both countries are investing heavily in moving beyond the role of back offices for larger economies and want locally invented technologies.

Marczewski also highlighted defence. Poland is spending nearly 5 per cent of GDP on defence and is seeking dual-use technologies that serve both military needs and civilian economic growth. “This is a dilemma that both countries have in common,” he said, arguing that such technologies could help translate high defence outlays into broader development.

Michał Matlak, director of the ITECH Institute, identified artificial intelligence as one of the most important areas for collaboration. He said Poland hopes to work with the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, noting that “cooperation could be very fruitful” given Poland’s strengths in relevant scientific and industrial questions. Polish companies, he said, are keen to learn from India’s startup culture and to co-develop products. “We would like to learn from Indian experience… and develop products together,” he said.