Who are Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa? Top EU leaders to be chief guests at Republic Day Parade 2026

Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and Ursula von der Leyen.

India is all set to celebrate its 77th Republic Day with a grand parade on Kartavya Road in New Delhi on January 26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited two senior European Union (EU) leaders to be the chief guests of this year’s parade. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Luís Santos da Costa will attend the celebrations in the Indian capital. The invitation reflects the deepening partnership between India and the EU even as free trade agreement (FTA) talks continue.

Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen is a German politician who has been president of the European Commission since 2019. She is the first woman to hold this post and is responsible for the EU’s policy direction and executive functions. He had previously had a long career in German politics, serving as a federal minister for several years. Ursula von der Leyen is a senior member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany.

António Luis Santos da Costa

António Luís Santos da Costa is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has held the presidency of the European Council since December 2024. Costa is responsible for chairing EU summits and representing the bloc internationally. Prior to this post, he served as prime minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024, becoming one of the longest-serving leaders in the country.

India had adopted its Constitution on January 26, 1950, and since then the country has celebrated Republic Day every year with a grand ceremonial parade in New Delhi. In 1955, Rajpath, now known as Kartavya Road, became the permanent venue for the parade. At India’s first Republic Day in 1950, Indonesia’s then leader Sukarno was invited as the inaugural chief guest.