Focus Europe
I am pleased to share with you the inaugural issue of DPG’s new monthly publication, Focus Europe, Vol. I, Issue 1, authored by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Senior Fellow, and Arshiya Chaturvedi, Research Associate
“Focus Europe” will feature studies of strategic developments and security issues in Europe, the progress of India-EU relations, and India’s ties with major European powers. In this opening issue, subtitled “India and Europe: Reshaping Global Dynamics”, the authors examine the contours and drivers of the emerging India-EU strategic partnership.
The India-EU partnership is gaining momentum, with a Free Trade Agreement likely to be concluded by the end of this year, which will harness the potential of what is already India’s leading trading relationship.
However, these ties now extend well beyond trade. Signed in 2020, the ‘India–EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025’ laid the foundation for today’s robust collaboration, which is expanding into key areas such as technology, clean and green energy, connectivity, defense and security, skills and talent mobility, and resilient supply chains.
An India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was announced in 2022; India is only the second country with which the EU has established such a mechanism. The TTC has met twice, and has structured cooperation around three working groups covering digital tech, clean energy, and resilient value chains. Engagement across these critical sectors will help shape their technology partnership in the years ahead.
Among these, clean and green energy technologies stand out as a crucial area of collaboration. Both sides are undertaking practical and planned measures toward a renewable energy transition, aligned with their climate goals under the Paris Agreement. As energy-dependent economies, both remain vulnerable to energy insecurity from geopolitical disruptions, which directly impacts their national interests. The India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership is reflective of this shared concern, with a strong focus on green hydrogen as a new and promising area of joint activity.
Connectivity remains a central pillar of the EU’s external relations strategy, including in its engagement with India. The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) - a flagship initiative within this broader strategic partnership - holds significant promise as a conduit for trade, clean energy, and high-speed digital connectivity. However, its operationalisation currently faces considerable headwinds, arising from geopolitical instability in the Middle East.
There is also growing scope for joint third-country projects, combining the EU’s Global Gateway strategy with India’s development cooperation initiatives. In June 2025, an India-EU Administrative Arrangement on Trilateral Cooperation was signed during EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to Brussels. This aims to leverage the strengths of both partners to support development projects in third countries.
This renewed momentum - rooted in shared democratic values - is also evident in high-level political engagement. In a powerful gesture of political will, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited India in February 2025, accompanied by the entire EU College of Commissioners. EAM Jaishankar’s return visit to Brussels in June 2025 further cemented this trajectory. Ministerial-level meetings across diverse sectors have also become a regular feature of this growing partnership.
In an era of shifting global dynamics, the India-EU partnership is more relevant than ever. As Europe seeks to diversify its options, and India integrates more deeply with the global economy, their cooperation will be critical to shaping a multipolar order and responding to the complex global challenges of our time.
To read this Focus Europe, Vol. I, Issue 1, please see the PDF attached.
