EU announces upgrade to partnership with India but warns of risks from India-Russia trade
The European Union has prepared a plan to raise its strategic ties with India, even though India’s military exercises and Russian oil acquisition is a risk for growing strategic ties between Brussels and New Delhi.
The European Commission and the EU’s best diplomat Kaja Kallas issued ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda’ in Brussels on September 17, 2025, and called for the European Parliament and Council (ie the presidents of the member states) to adopt it.
Ms. Kallas called India as a “important çocak partner for the EU and said that while summarizing the strategy covering trade, technology, security, defense and climate, she said closer ties with the new Delhi. He was talking at a press conference on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at a press conference in Brussels.
“The EU and India have the potential and determination of one of the descriptive partnerships of the 21st century,” he said.
Brussels and new Delhi, EU’s trade chief Maroš šefčovič visited the new Delhi to meet with the Minister of Commerce Puussh Goyal last week and negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA).
“We also negotiate the agreement on classified information exchange and deepening of bonds between the defense industry. [sic]”He said.
“India’s participation in Russia’s military exercises and the acquisition of Russian oil stands in front of the closer ties, because ultimately our partnership is about defending not only trade but also on rules -based international order,” he said.
“The restriction of any activation of war is very important for the EU,” he says.
According to Mrs. Kalllas, negotiations with the new Delhi will discuss these difficulties in order to adopt a common roadmap at the next EU-India summit at the beginning of 2026.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was “satisfied ıyla to the adoption of the new strategic document.
The European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said to his phone call on Wednesday, “We are adhered to an early and peaceful solution of the Ukrainian conflict,” he said.
India and the EU are trying to support ties in the face of increasing geopolitical uncertainty and difficulties in trade relations with the US. In addition to a 25% tariff (25% ‘mutual’ tariff) in India, the Trump administration pushed the ties between the new Delhi and Washington. The relationship has started to be solved recently. US President Donald Trump greeted Mr. Modi for his birthday for a phone call on Tuesday.
According to the Commissioner, the trade between India and the EU has grown more than 90% in the last decade, but the two sides “draw the surface”. Brussels and the new Delhi hopes to make a trade agreement until the end of the year.
Mr. šefčovič said that he was frequently in contact with Mr. Goyal, but he wanted to be “more progress” during his visit to the new Delhi last week. He also said that Indian trade negotiators had a reputation because it was “difficult”.
Tariff Barriers
On the problem of agricultural tariffs, Mr. Sefcovic said that the problem was not about the numbers, but about whether the presentation is commercially meaningful after taking into account tariff and non -tariff barriers. He showed India’s qualitative control orders (QCOs) as an example and said that they should take into account the EU negotiations.
14th Trade talks will take place in Brussels between 6-10 October.
On the participation of India’s last ZAPAD-2025 military exercises led by Russia, Mrs. Kallas said that he was talking to Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday. He reiterated that exercises with Russia and the purchase of oil were the problems of the relationship.
“The question is always whether we leave this gap to be filled by someone else. So we are trying to fill ourselves,” he said in response to the cooperation question with India. He responded similarly when he was tested to India’s Détente, which appears with China.
The Commissaries College agreed that the EU had to deepen relations with India in order not to pushing them to the corner of Russia ”.
Ms. Kallas stated the principle of ‘nothing is accepted’, including asking how India’s EU’s concerns about Russia will be affected if the trade talks will be affected.
Published – 17 September 2025 09:47 IST
