German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Likely to Visit India Next Month to Boost Bilateral Ties
New Delhi: India will begin a major aid campaign to Europe early next year. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to visit India next month and strengthen bilateral relations. This visit is considered important as Germany is the strongest economy in the EU and also the third largest economy in the world. Soon, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will allegedly be the chief guests at the Republic Day parade and attend the India-European Union summit to be held in New Delhi the next day, while French President Emmanuel Macron will visit India in February for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) summit to be hosted by India.
Following the “successful conclusion” of government negotiations on 2025 development cooperation with India, Germany earlier this month announced new commitments of “almost €1.3 billion, primarily in the form of concessional loans, in key areas such as climate and energy, sustainable urban development, green urban mobility and sustainable management of natural resources.”
Germany also said bilateral cooperation (with India) will be strengthened in the skills development sector, especially in renewable energy. He also affirmed its “strong and future-oriented partnership” with India “under the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP)”.
India and the EU have been locked in intense negotiations for months over a still elusive free trade agreement (FTA). But the expected visit of two senior EU leaders next month has added urgency to efforts to reach a deal. India’s successful efforts to reach a free trade agreement with New Zealand have increased the momentum.
Trade and industry minister Piyush Goyal had held talks in the national capital earlier this month with Maroš Šefčovič, the European Union commissioner for trade and economic security, “aimed at providing strategic guidance to the FTA negotiating teams as both sides seek to finalize the agreement as soon as possible.”
Earlier this month, “technical discussions” were also held between the two sides “across key sections of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement covering market access for goods, rules of origin, services, technical barriers to trade, trade and sustainable development.” During their meeting, Mr. Goyal and Mr. Šefčovič “conducted detailed discussions on key areas of the proposed agreement.”
The French President’s visit in February is expected to further strengthen strategic and defense ties between France and India, the EU’s second strongest economy after Germany.
