The President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will be the Chief Guests at India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations on 26 January at Kartavyapath. They are visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will be on a three-day State Visit from 25 January.
During their visit, both leaders will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on 27 January, meet President Droupadi Murmu, and hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi. An India-EU Business Forum is planned on the sidelines of the Summit.
India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004, with the last (15th) India-EU Summit held virtually in July 2020. Bilateral ties have strengthened across multiple areas, especially after the EU College of Commissioners visited India in February last year. The Republic Day participation and the upcoming Summit are expected to further deepen the India-EU Strategic Partnership and expand cooperation in priority sectors of mutual interest.
