“We explore a future security and defense partnership with India in the mold of partnerships we have with Japan and South Korea,” she said during her speech during a event organized by a reflection group in New Delhi on Friday, February 28, 2025).
“This will help us to intensify our work to counter common threats, whether on cross -border terrorism, maritime security threats, cyber attacks or the new phenomenon we see: attacks on our critical infrastructure,” said Ursula von der Leyen, who visits India with the college of European Union commissioners.
This also revealed an echo in the declaration of managers published after a meeting between the president of the European Commission on a visit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who declared that he is committed to exploring a security and defense partnership.
The president of the European Commission also underlined the interest of India to join industrial defense projects under the permanent structured cooperation of the EU. “India is working hard to diversify its military supply and to access new capacities. And I think we can help each other achieve our security goals, ”she said.
In this context, she referred to collaboration in fields such as cybersecurity, space and drones. “It is not only a question of stability in our respective regions. But it is also a key element to strengthen our economic security and ultimately our prosperity. And that is why security should be part of our new strategic partnership with India, ”she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his part, described growing cooperation between India and the EU on defense and security issues as a symbol of mutual trust.
“We will prevail in terms of cybersecurity, maritime security and the fight against terrorism,” he said during the joint press conference with the president of the European Commission after their meeting.
Earlier, in his remarks during the plenary session, Prime Minister Modi said that India and the EU could meet each other’s needs by co-development and co-production. “We have to work to prioritize the laws on export control,” he noted.
Speaking of security, he said: “It is necessary for greater cooperation on the challenges resulting from terrorism, extremism, maritime security, cybersecurity and space security”.
According to a statement published after their meeting, Prime Minister Modi and President Ursula von der Leyen expressed their satisfaction with increasing cooperation in the field of defense and security, including joint exercises and collaboration between the Indian Navy and the EU maritime security entities.
The visit of the president of the European Commission is politically significant because it occurs at a time when there is unsubscribe in Europe due to the war in Ukraine. This was reflected in her speech during the New Delhi event, because she said: “Wars, conflicts and coup d’etat broke out in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Africa and different regions. And what is happening in a part of the world is important for Europe and India. Even if we sit far on the map. Because peace, security and prosperity are indivisible in this world. ”
This is the third visit of President Ursula von der Leyen in India. It previously visited India for an official bilateral visit in April 2022 and to attend the Summit of G20 leaders in September 2023. Prime Minister Modi and President Ursula Von Der Leyen also regularly met on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), this is the very first visit to the college of EU commissioners in India and among the first visits of this type since the start of the mandate of the current European Commission in December 2024 after the European parliamentary elections held in June 2024.
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