India is ‘indispensable’ to Europe’s economic resilience, says EU ahead of 16th Summit with New Delhi
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "India is ‘indispensable’ to Europe’s economic resilience, says EU ahead of 16th Summit with New Delhi")
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. Photograph: (X/@kajakallas)
Marking the upcoming meeting with India as an important moment in renewed geopolitics, Kaja Kallas stated that the ties between the two are moving closer together at a time when parts of the world are in strain due to wars, coercion and economic fragmentation.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, on Wednesday said India is becoming "indispensable" for the economic resilience of Europe and signalled that the bloc is ready to deliver on a powerful new agenda with New Delhi that includes trade, security, technology and people-to-people ties.
Her statement came the day before the top leadership of the European Union arrived in India for the 16th EU-India Summit on January 27 and as chief guests for the Republic Day celebrations. Kallas set the showing of the significant reset in ties between the two strategic partners, according to a report in NDTV.
Marking the upcoming meeting with India as an important moment in renewed geopolitics, Kaja Kallas stated that the ties between the two are moving closer together at a time when parts of the world are in strain due to wars, coercion and economic fragmentation.
"Two major democracies cannot afford to hesitate," she said and argued that New Delhi and the EU share a responsibility to uphold international law, the UN Charter and an effective multilateral system that is suitable for the 21st century.
Three key initiatives
According to Kallas, leaders are set to go beyond declarations of intent and approve “concrete deliverables” aimed at turning commitments into action. She mentioned that three key initiatives are expected to take centre stage.
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First, both sides are seeking to wrap up talks on the long-delayed EU-India Free Trade Agreement. Kallas said the pact would open up markets, cut trade barriers and reinforce critical supply chains in sectors such as clean technology, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, industries that have become strategically vital amid global disruptions and geopolitical strains.
Second, the EU on Wednesday agreed to proceed with the signing of a new EU-India Security and Defence Partnership, which Kallas said she plans to sign in New Delhi next week. The deal will deepen cooperation in areas including maritime security, counterterrorism and cyber defence, and will be paired with the start of negotiations on a security of information agreement. "In a more dangerous world, we will both gain from working closer together," she said in the European Parliament.
Third, both sides plan to finalise a memorandum of understanding on a comprehensive framework for cooperation on mobility. The agreement is expected to ease the movement of seasonal workers, students, researchers and highly skilled professionals, while strengthening collaboration in research and innovation, a priority for both ends as key to long-term competitiveness.
