European Union-India: Lasting Rapprochement or Partnership of Convenience?
The partnership between the European Union (EU) and India has long been limited to economic exchanges. Its political dimension has gradually developed, culminating in its elevation to the status of a “strategic partnership” in 2004. However, the failure of negotiations for a free-trade agreement in 2013 slowed this momentum. Since the early 2020s, in an uncertain geopolitical context, bilateral rapprochement has gained new momentum.
While France and Germany remain the driving forces behind EU–India cooperation, in the military and economic spheres respectively, India is now adopting a strategy of diversification in Europe, forging “à la carte” partnerships with different countries according to its interests.
The EU–India summit on January 27, 2026, marked a turning point, with the announcement of several major agreements. The free-trade agreement is a significant economic step forward, but the partnership’s ambition goes far beyond trade. The joint strategic agenda for 2030 aims to strengthen cooperation in a variety of areas: technology, mobility, defense, security, connectivity, and global issues.
However, this rapprochement, which is primarily political, remains fragile. India’s dependence on Russia for its defense, its delicate position vis-à-vis China, and the central role of the United States in its foreign policy limit the EU’s ability to become a truly privileged partner. The coming months and years will be decisive in determining whether this partnership can be realized in a lasting and tangible way, or whether it will remain a reactive initiative shaped primarily by current circumstances.
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European Union-India: Lasting Rapprochement or Partnership of Convenience?
Sylvia MALINBAUM
Research Fellow, Head of India and South Asia Research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
Center for Asian Studies
Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
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