EU chief von der Leyen in Delhi for four-day visit; summit expected to push trade, defence and mobility agenda
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in New Delhi for a four-day visit ahead of India–EU summit talks scheduled for 27 January 2026. The visit is expected to advance big-ticket initiatives spanning trade, a strategic defence partnership and a mobility framework for Indian professionals.
A high-level EU visit timed with Republic Day and the summit
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in New Delhi on Friday, 24 January 2026, beginning a four-day visit aimed at advancing major initiatives to deepen India–European Union ties. The trip comes ahead of a summit in Delhi on 27 January 2026, where von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The timing also intersects with India’s Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2026, for which the visiting EU leaders are expected to be chief guests, signalling political emphasis on the partnership as well as the optics of strategic alignment.
Trade, defence partnership and mobility framework in focus
According to the report, the summit is expected to be used to announce progress on several “big-ticket” outcomes. These include the conclusion of the long-awaited India–EU free trade agreement, efforts to finalise a strategic defence partnership pact, and a framework designed to facilitate mobility of Indian professionals.
For businesses, the package matters because it combines market-access ambitions with security cooperation and talent movement. If delivered, it could reduce friction for firms operating across jurisdictions, expand collaboration in defence-related supply chains, and widen pathways for skilled workers and officials to move between India and EU member states for assignments and projects.
Why the economic relationship is central to the push
The EU, as a bloc, is described as India’s largest trading partner in goods. The report cited official data indicating that in FY 2024–25, total bilateral goods trade stood at about $136 billion, with Indian exports at around $76 billion and imports at about $60 billion. These volumes make the stakes of an FTA and related frameworks commercially significant.
Beyond headline numbers, the strategic value lies in the direction of travel: both sides appear to be positioning the relationship around supply-chain resilience, defence-industrial cooperation, and the practical movement of people and skills—areas where policy decisions translate quickly into business confidence and investment planning.