EU seeks a new relationship with India, but the new path presents a challenge

Brussels – India as a new destination, a response to new global tensions and shifting geopolitical dynamics. The European Union, particularly EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, is betting heavily on a new season of bilateral relations with New Delhi. In some respects, it is an obligatory choice. However, it risks throwing the old continent into a counterproductive dimension. Like China, India has a role as a privileged partner with Russia, which is condemned and subject to no less than sixteen sanctions packages and still has a lot of work to do on human rights. In essence, it is not exactly a champion of those values that the EU has flaunted in recent years.

The European Parliament’s think tank, in a working paper drafted to ease the task of MEPs, makes no secret of the fact that EU-India relations are not without critical issues. The first concerns India’s political agenda. “The EU is also looking to expand its circle of key partners, against a backdrop of uncertainty over transatlantic relations” is the document’s premise. “India meanwhile maintains a privileged relationship with Russia and is strengthening ties with the Trump administration.” A way of positioning itself on the international chessboard that certainly puts the EU in the uncomfortable position of having to choose between avoiding any relationship with those who do not share European principles or embrace that pragmatism outlined by von der Leyen, in which we have to accept that we “have to work with countries that do not have similar ideas but share some of our interests.“

Ue India von der Leyen Modi — European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyne, with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi (source: EU Commission)

EU-India, the calendar for the new relationship season

The European Commission is serious. Little does it matter if New Delhi flirts with Moscow and Washington. Next week, the entire college will be in India on February 27 and 28. The EU-India Council on Trade and Technology will also meet for the occasion. A joint communication on a new EU-India strategic agenda is scheduled for the second quarter of 2025. An EU-India summit could take place in the last quarter of 2025. It is a timetable with dates, milestones, and goals, reflecting a desire to hedge against new trade tensions and shifting world orders.

The EU wishes to develop its relations with India, whose market and economic growth represent a valuable opportunity for European companies, especially in green technologies. It is noted that India is a leader in promoting renewable energy, and this role is not new. In March 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired the International Solar Alliance (ISA) founding conference. ISA aims to unlock $1 trillion in solar investment by 2030, reducing technology and financing costs.

The geopolitical game

There is also the need to consider the geopolitical game and not underestimate it. European Parliament researchers recall that New Delhi’s goal is to “place itself at the center of the global balance of power” between the United States and its allies on the one hand and Russia and China (with which it participates in the inter-governmental BRICS organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization) on the other. At the same time, India aims to represent and lead the ‘Global South.’

In this all-India agenda, Russia plays a significant role, as India historically feels threatened by China (with which there is still a dispute over the Aksai-Chin territories, claimed by both sides) and sees relations with Russia as a way to respond to this sense of Chinese encirclement. India purchased some of the Russian crude oil under European sanctions and allegedly helped bring in European aircraft equipment that could not be sold in Russia.

Then there is the human rights issue, which “represents a further cause of unease in EU-India relations.” In its January 2024 resolution on EU-India relations, Parliament expressed concern about the human rights and democracy situation in the country.

English version by the Translation Service of Withub