India-Europe ties deepen into a structured, sustained phase

Driven by a growing convergence of perspectives and interests and the pressures generated by the Trump administration 2.0, India-Europe relations have continued to make steady progress. As analysed earlier, European leaders, such as the British Prime Minister, the President of France, the President of the EU Council and the European Commission, and the Chancellor of Germany, paid high-profile visits to India in the six months stretching from October 2025 to March 2026. In addition, the European states’ participation in the AI Impact Summit was notable. Among all these developments, the announcement that India and the EU had concluded their negotiations for the historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was warmly welcomed in both geographies.

In this context, it is noteworthy that the trend of growing proximity between India and Europe has continued unabated in subsequent weeks. Important developments and their implications deserve critical notice from seasoned observers of India–Europe relations.

Visit by Austrian Chancellor

Austria, a nation of 9.2 million people and a GDP per capita of $67,000, is located at the centre of Europe. Vienna’s international significance stems from it being one of the four UN headquarters sites, along with New York, Geneva, and Nairobi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Austria in 2024; it was a prime ministerial visit that took place after a gap of 40 years. Now, from April 14 to 17, 2026, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker visited India. This was his first visit to Asia. It was also the first visit by an Austrian chancellor to India in over four decades, the last visit being in 1984.

More from Opinion

Senior officials in India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described it as a “very substantive and productive visit". This reflected, they added, “our strong commitment to both partnership with the European Union as a whole and deeper bilateral engagement with its member states.” Among them, Austria is perceived as “a valued partner” with whom India intends to expand cooperation in “key areas of mutual interest".

At least three distinctive features of the dialogue held with the Austrian delegation need to be noted here. First, while discussions were comprehensive, special focus was placed on the growing economic partnership. Chancellor Stocker addressed the business forum held in Delhi. The Austrian minister of economy, energy, and tourism travelled to Mumbai with a large business delegation before the chancellor arrived in India. A range of activities and mutual interests in trade and investment, technology and innovation, green and clean energy, quantum technology, and other hi-tech sectors underwent a careful review. An interesting facet is that Austrian companies specialise in tunnelling technology. As Prime Minister Modi put it, “From the Delhi Metro to the Atal tunnel built at an altitude of 10,000 feet in the Himalayas, Austria’s tunnelling expertise has made a lasting impact.”

Second, considerable attention was paid to defence cooperation, with the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish a joint working group on military cooperation. India has been developing two ‘defence corridors’ – one in the north and the other in the south. European companies, including Austrian ones, are participating in them. The LOI represents a practical step toward implementing the Indo-EU Defence and Security Partnership announced in January 2026.

Third, concrete steps have been taken to foster cooperation on counter-terrorism, including to counter violent radicalisation and extremism, especially the financing of terrorism. The decision to set up a joint working group will be a useful instrument in this context.

Other aspects of the visit are comprehensively covered in the 44-paragraph joint statement issued on April 16. It “reaffirmed the deep and enduring friendship between India and Austria", founded on democratic values, human rights, the rule of law, and mutual respect. In addition, six MOUs and agreements were signed, and nine important announcements were made regarding bilateral relations, including Austria’s leading technical universities' Focus India Initiative to deepen educational and research cooperation with India systematically.

Interactions with Germany

The successful visit to India by Friedrich Merz in January 2026 was followed by two important Indian visitors to Germany. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was in Berlin to hold Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on April 14. He met his counterpart, the German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, as well as other dignitaries and senior foreign policy experts. A full-spectrum review of bilateral relations was undertaken, covering traditional and contemporary domains, including critical and emerging technologies, defence-industrial collaboration, digital governance, and renewable energy. The basic decision was “to further deepen and diversify cooperation in areas of contemporary relevance", as the MEA’s press release put it.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh‘s visit took place from April 21 to 23. This aims to enhance defence-industrial collaboration, strengthen military-to-military engagements, and explore opportunities in emerging domains to strengthen institutional cooperation and advance joint capabilities. Discussions in Berlin covered both purposes: reviewing ongoing defence cooperation projects and identifying new areas for collaboration between India's and Germany's defence sectors.

Addressing a group of German parliamentarians, the minister invited German industries “to co-create, co-develop and co-innovate” in the defence field. India and Germany, he said, are not only strategic partners but also consequential voices shaping global discourse today. Two important agreements have been signed during the visit: the defence industrial cooperation roadmap and the agreement on UN peacekeeping training. The first sets a framework for co-development and co-production of defence equipment, with “potential implications for major projects such as Project-751 submarines", as a media report put it. Both agreements are in the context of the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership. Interacting with representatives of the 300,000–strong Indian Diaspora, the minister exhorted them to promote India’s perspective globally and deepen economic ties.

FOC with France

To ensure appropriate follow-up concerning President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in February 2026, Foreign Secretary Misri visited Paris to co-chair FOC on April 13. The goal was to refine mutual understanding about the recent elevation of ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership”. The key focus was on concrete deliverables, such as cooperation on economic security, and the goal of doubling bilateral trade. Discussions also covered increased cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, trilateral dialogues, and joint development projects in third countries. A Strategic Space Dialogue will take place later in the year.

Other Developments

Foreign Office Consultations were also held in Delhi with Turkey and Sweden on April 8 and 9, respectively. Besides, while visiting Delhi, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto held discussions with his Indian counterpart on April 30 on a range of issues, centred on defence cooperation. They also exchanged views on regional and global matters and the evolving geopolitical landscape.

Taken together, the developments analysed above provide a clear indication that the government accords a high priority to strengthening across-the-board relationships with select European countries, and the latter are showing matching interest. PM Modi is expected to participate in the next India-Nordic Summit in May. At that time, he is expected to visit four European countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands, and Italy.

Thereafter, the PM is expected to attend the G7 summit, to be held in Evian-les-Bains, France, from June 15 to 17. This will be yet another important occasion to assess the next stage in the increasingly shared trajectory of Indo-European cooperation.

(Rajiv Bhatia is a Distinguished Fellow at Gateway House. He was the Indian ambassador to several countries, in addition to serving as a diplomat at Indian missions in Paris and Brussels. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Firstpost.)