The President of the European Council, António Luís Santos da Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be on a State Visit to India from January 25 to 27, during which they will attend the 77th Republic Day celebrations as Chief Guests and co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
The visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will include meetings with President Droupadi Murmu and both restricted and delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister. An India-EU Business Forum is also expected to be held on the sidelines of the summit, the MEA said.
India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004, with ties expanding across a wide range of sectors, particularly after the visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February 2025, the foreign ministry added.
The participation of the two EU leaders in the Republic Day celebrations and the summit is expected to give fresh momentum to the India-EU strategic partnership and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
