Europe fills diplomatic agenda for India this week

New Delhi: Europe will dominate Indian diplomacy this week, with visits from three continental nations ahead of the conclusion of the much-anticipated free trade agreement (FTA).

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz begins his maiden trip to India on Monday, seeking a bigger market share weeks ahead of the FTA with the European Union (EU). France diplomatic advisor and G20 Sherpa Emmanuel Bonne will be in the Capital on Monday and Tuesday to lay ground for French President Emmanuel Macron's trip in February.

The German and French engagements will be immediately followed by a visit by Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski.


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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Merz in Ahmedabad on Monday. The two will review the progress made in the India-Germany strategic partnership, which has recently completed 25 years. Their discussions will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains.

Green Energy, Tech Collaborations

These include defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties with Germany. Topping the agenda will be mobility, trade and investment, science and technology, besides a defence partnership.

The India-EU summit is scheduled for January 27.

There are close to 300,000 Indian passport holders and Indian-origin people in Germany, of which around 60,000 are students. The Indian diaspora mainly consists of professionals, researchers and scientists, entrepreneurs, nurses and students. There has been a significant increase in the last few years in the number of qualified Indian IT, banking and finance professionals in that country.

Meanwhile, Sikorski’s visit will be the first by a Polish foreign minister after 2022. Visits by Polish ministers to India have been limited in recent years amid Warsaw ramping up ties with Pakistan, including being a gateway for ammunition supplies to Ukraine from the Pakistan Ordinance Board.

In 2024, Modi visited Warsaw and met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The duo upgraded India-Poland relations to ‘strategic partnership.’ Their discussions covered a range of topics, including trade, investment, science, technology, defence, security, cultural cooperation and people-to-people ties.

The leaders identified opportunities for collaboration in sectors such as food processing, urban infrastructure, water management, electric vehicles, green hydrogen and other renewable energy, AI and mining. They also underscored the importance of cultural ties, referencing the historical bond between the two countries.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar was recently in France and Luxembourg, endeavouring to boost ties in the run-up to the India-EU summit and the visits by leaders of Germany and France. The minister called on Macron and held bilateral discussions with his counterpart, minister for Europe and foreign affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot.

Jaishankar also participated in the first India-Weimar Triangle meeting — which included foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland — where he stressed on the importance of deepening India-Europe and India-EU relations.