‘India Is Indispensable’: EU To Sign Defence, Counterterror Pact At Delhi Summit

Last Updated:January 22, 2026, 01:30 IST

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says the pact will expand cooperation on defence, counterterrorism and cyber security at next week’s summit in New Delhi.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas addresses the European Parliament plenary. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

The European Union is set to sign a new security and defence partnership with India at next week’s EU–India summit in New Delhi, as both sides move to deepen cooperation amid growing geopolitical and economic pressures.

Speaking ahead of the 60th EU–India Summit on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe was ready to deliver a “powerful new agenda" with India, describing the country as “indispensable to Europe’s economic resilience and strategic stability".

“Today, the EU agreed to move forward with the signature of a new Security and Defence Partnership," Kallas said, adding that it would expand cooperation in areas such as maritime security, counterterrorism and cyber-defence. She said the agreement would be signed during the summit in New Delhi.

“In a more dangerous world, we will both gain from working closer together," Kallas said, adding that Europe and India could help anchor stability in the Indo-Pacific by defending open sea lanes, strengthening maritime domain awareness and resisting coercion.

Kallas said the partnership reflects a shared assessment that the rules-based international order is under unprecedented pressure from war, coercion and economic fragmentation, and that two major democracies cannot afford to hesitate.

Beyond security, the EU and India are also set to conclude a memorandum of understanding on a comprehensive framework for cooperation on mobility. The framework will facilitate the movement of seasonal workers, students, researchers and highly skilled professionals, while promoting research and innovation.

The mobility push comes as part of a broader effort to turn political momentum into practical outcomes for citizens and businesses on both sides.

The summit will also adopt a new EU–India comprehensive strategic agenda through 2030, with leaders expected to endorse concrete deliverables across trade, technology, climate and security.

Kallas said the EU aims to conclude negotiations on a long-pending EU–India free trade agreement, which would open markets, remove barriers and strengthen critical supply chains in areas such as clean technologies, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

On technology and security, she said the EU–India Trade and Technology Council was shaping cooperation on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure, with the goal of embedding trusted standards that shape global markets.

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