EU leaders travel to India for 16th EU-India Summit after attending Republic Day parade in New Delhi
European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are in India for the 16th EU-India Summit in New Delhi on 27 January 2026, after attending India’s Republic Day parade on 26 January as guests of honour. The EU says talks will focus on trade, security and defence, clean transition, technology and innovation, and people-to-people cooperation.
A two-day diplomatic sequence in New Delhi
European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to India to represent the European Union at the 16th EU-India Summit scheduled for 27 January 2026 in New Delhi. The summit follows directly after their participation in India’s Republic Day parade on 26 January, where the two leaders attended as guests of honour.
By pairing a high-visibility ceremonial event with next-day negotiations, both sides are emphasising that the partnership is intended to be public-facing as well as policy-focused. The EU described India as a “crucial partner” and framed the summit as an opportunity to advance cooperation on major shared priorities and global challenges.
Agenda: trade, security, clean transition, connectivity and tech
According to the European Council’s communication, the summit agenda includes trade, security and defence cooperation, the clean transition and deeper people-to-people links. Technology and innovation were also highlighted as areas where the EU wants stronger collaboration, consistent with the bloc’s broader push to diversify partnerships in an era of supply-chain shifts and higher geopolitical risk.
For India, a summit with the EU’s top leadership offers an opportunity to widen strategic space beyond bilateral ties with individual European countries. For the EU, the New Delhi engagement offers an additional pillar in Indo-Pacific outreach and a channel to align with a major economy on standards, investment and critical technologies.
Republic Day attendance as a strategic signal
The European Council said Costa and von der Leyen’s attendance at the Republic Day parade as guests of honour marked the first time EU leaders have taken that role, describing it as a sign of strengthening ties. The move is especially notable because the parade is a central national ceremony that projects India’s constitutional identity and state capacity—making it an unusually prominent platform for signalling international relationships.
The EU also referenced work on a strategic EU-India agenda endorsed in 2025, with focus areas including prosperity and sustainability, technology and innovation, security and defence, connectivity and global issues. The summit, therefore, is positioned less as a one-off meeting and more as an attempt to lock in direction across several policy tracks that can produce practical outcomes over the coming year.