NEW DELHI: European Council President António Luís Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will undertake a three-day state visit to India from January 25 to 27, during which they will be the chief guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations.At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Council President António Luís Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will pay a State Visit to India from January 25 to 27. Both leaders will attend the Republic Day as chief guests, the ministry of external affairs said.During their visit, Costa and von der Leyen will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on January 27. They are scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold restricted as well as delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi. An India-EU Business Forum is expected to take place on the sidelines of the summit, bringing together senior policymakers and business leaders from both sides.India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004, with cooperation steadily expanding across trade, technology, climate action and geopolitical issues. The last summit, the 15th India-EU Summit, was held virtually in July 2020. Bilateral ties received fresh momentum following the visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February 2025, which both sides described as historic.The MEA said the participation of the EU’s top leadership as Republic Day chief guests, along with the summit, would further deepen the India-EU Strategic Partnership and push collaboration in priority areas of mutual interest.The visit comes at a crucial moment in India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has said that 20 of the 24 chapters under the proposed FTA have already been finalised, with talks continuing on the remaining issues. Both sides are engaged almost daily to try and meet timelines ahead of the leaders’ meeting.Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal’s recent visit to Brussels has also been seen as a key step in advancing the negotiations, adding economic substance to what is set to be a high-profile diplomatic engagement in January.
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