Context: India is deepening strategic ties with Europe amidst Trump-era volatility, enhancing prospects for a multipolar world.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Significance of Europe for India in a changing world order.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Europe, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the 2025 G7 summit in Canada, and his upcoming visits to Croatia and Cyprus, highlights India’s renewed emphasis on deepening strategic ties with Europe.
India’s recalibrated approach acknowledges Europe's emerging role as a potential swing state amid the shifting power equations among the US, Russia, and China.
Why does Europe matter to India now?
Europe, once on the periphery of India’s foreign policy, is now emerging as a strategic partner due to three key global shifts:
- Trump-era volatility: Trump’s “America First” doctrine and his transactional approach to alliances like NATO and G7 has created uncertainty in the west, pushing India to diversify ties with Europe.
- Europe as a Swing State: As the US-China rivalry intensifies, Europe is emerging as a strategic swing state, it gives India a chance to build balanced, independent partnerships in trade, defence, and technology, supporting India’s vision of a multipolar world.
- Shared Outlook on Multipolarity: Europe’s push for strategic autonomy aligns with India’s vision of a multipolar, de-hyphenated world order.
- Security Realignments: Post-Ukraine war, European nations like Germany, France, and Poland are taking more responsibility for their own security. This opens space for India to collaborate on defence, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
The strategic alignment grounded in shared economic interests, democratic values, and the pursuit of enhanced national security.
How India is deepening ties with Europe?
- High Level Engagements: Indian PM’s visit to the G7 Summit presents an opportunity to strengthen links with the broader Western bloc, and engage with the G7 on global issues like climate change, digital governance, and economic resilience. External Affairs Minister’s frequent visits to Europe.
- Trade and Tech cooperation:
- The EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC), established in 2023, advances cooperation in AI, quantum computing, outer space, and green technologies.
- The once unlikely India-EU Free Trade Agreement is now back on track, reflecting growing mutual interest in deeper economic integration.
- Connectivity Initiatives: India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) aims to create alternative trade routes and reduce supply chain dependency on China.
- Defence Collaboration: Joint military exercises (E.g., with France), co-development talks, and Europe’s €800 billion ReArm 2030 plan offer scope for defence industrial partnerships.
Challenges:
- Russia remains a sensitive factor in India-EU relations. India maintains long-standing defence ties with Russia and has refrained from criticising Russia’s war in Ukraine. Europe is at the receiving end of Russia’s ambitions to rearrange the regional order. However, both India and the EU have prioritised pragmatic engagement over ideological arguments.
As the West grapples with internal divisions and the US-China rivalry grows, Europe offers India a reliable partner for balanced cooperation in trade, defence, and technology. Together, both can play a key role in shaping a stable, multipolar world order.
About G-7:
- A group of 7 advanced economies- the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan that meet annually to discuss global economic and political issues.
- India is not a member, and is regularly invited as a guest member.
- G7 Summit 2025 is being hosted by Canada.