With External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar voicing strong support for signing an ambitious and well-balanced Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of 2025, India and the EU are well-positioned to strengthen their strategic cooperation.
On June 10, 2025, Jaishankar met with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and other top EU officials in Brussels for the first India-EU Strategic Dialogue, where he outlined this pledge.
A wide range of topics were discussed, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, counterterrorism, maritime security, defense, and space cooperation. Both parties emphasized their shared democratic ideals and overlapping strategic objectives while reaffirming their commitment to a rules-based international system, world peace, stability, and prosperity.
Even while India and the EU may not always have the same viewpoints, Jaishankar emphasized that strengthening their alliance requires finding more common ground, improving understanding, and fostering trust.
The FTA was a major topic of discussion, and Jaishankar said that India’s top strategic goal is to stabilize and de-risk the global economy. This entails developing stronger supply chains that are more dependable and resilient, encouraging transparency and trust in digital interactions, and forging strong technology and business alliances. In order to achieve these goals, he emphasized the importance of finishing the FTA by year’s end and requested an early meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council.
Another important agenda issue was security cooperation. Both sides agreed that there should be no tolerance for terrorism in any form and talked about how the problems of terrorism and nuclear dangers are intertwined. Jaishankar praised the solidarity displayed by European leaders, especially European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and praised the EU’s strong condemnation of the recent terrorist assault in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.
The conversation also covered regional and international topics, such as the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the European crisis, and the conflict in Ukraine. Both sides agreed that the world order is changing quickly and is marked by multipolarity and strategic autonomy. They also agreed that there is a compelling argument for India and the EU to strengthen their relationship in this changing environment.
Jaishankar further strengthened parliamentary and people-to-people ties by visiting with important members of the European Parliament and interacting with members of the Indian community in Belgium and Luxembourg in addition to official meetings.
With both parties dedicated to expanding collaboration across commerce, technology, security, and strategic sectors, the first India-EU Strategic Dialogue represented a major advancement in bilateral relations. In a world that is changing quickly, the two countries’ mutual objective of completing an ambitious and well-balanced free trade agreement by the end of 2025 is evidence of their increasing convergence.
