António, my friend,
Ministers, especially Shankar and Goyal,
Vice-President Kallas,
Commissioner Šefčovič,
Excellencies,
Friends,
Thank you very much for the exceptional hospitality. It was such an honour for us to be your chief guests at the Republic Day celebrations yesterday. This is a memory I will carry for a lifetime. Because the sense of communion was so powerful. People filled the streets, united in the pride and joy of belonging to the Indian nation. And rightfully so. India has risen. And Europe is truly glad about it. Because when India succeeds, the world is more stable, more prosperous, and more secure. And we all benefit.
Prime Minister Modi, dear friend,
One year ago, the full College of EU Commissioners came to India. This is also a very special memory for me. It showed the seriousness of our intent. And the strength of our commitment. Today, we reap the fruits of that commitment, with our historic Summit. Let me start with trade.
Prime Minister, distinguished friend,
We did it. We have delivered the mother of all deals. We are creating a market of 2 billion people. This is a tale of two giants – the world's second- and fourth-largest economies. Two giants who choose partnership, in a true win-win fashion. A strong message that cooperation is the best answer to global challenges. This trade deal will integrate further our supply chains and strengthen our joint manufacturing power. It will cut up to EUR 4 billion in annual tariffs for exporters of all sizes. And it will create good jobs for millions of workers – here in India and in Europe. At the same time, this agreement will build on the natural complementarity of our economies.
It brings together India's skills, services and scale, with Europe's technology, capital and innovation. It will create levels of growth that neither side can achieve alone. And by combining these strengths, we reduce strategic dependencies, at a time when trade is increasingly weaponised. We will discuss this and more at our first EU-India Business Forum later today. I want to offer a special word of thanks to the people who worked so hard to make this day a reality. Starting with EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and his counterpart, India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. You have done outstanding work. This is historic, and it would not have been possible without you. I also want to pay tribute to their colleagues Sabine Weyand and Secretary Rajesh Agrawal. Many others made vital contributions. I congratulate you all – the hard work was worth it.
Prime Minister Modi, distinguished friend,
We are not only making our economies stronger. We are also delivering security for our people in an increasingly insecure world. Today, the world's two largest economies and democracies launch their first ever security and defence partnership. This is a landmark departure. And a trust-based platform for cooperation on the strategic issues that matter most. In so doing, we will help to build each other's resilience. Europe and India have a long history of cooperation in the defence industry. Now, we will enhance this teamwork even further. We will deepen our cooperation on maritime security. For example, joint naval exercises to tackle piracy. And we will step up our work on countering cyber and hybrid threats, which are getting more sophisticated by the day. Our partnership includes a dedicated dialogue on space security, from situational awareness to secure connectivity and stronger cooperation on counterterrorism. Finally, we are launching negotiations on a Security of Information Agreement. Europe and India have chosen to be reliable partners for one another. And this is how we demonstrate the trust we share.
Prime Minister Modi, distinguished friend,
I want to turn now to innovation. Because here too we share core values. The freedom of research and science is paramount for us. Europe and India will always choose science. We will always choose progress, the way forward. We will choose technology at the service of our people. It is part of who we are. And our cooperation on human-centric, trustworthy AI is one of the best examples. So today, I am glad to announce that we are working on India's association with Horizon Europe. Backed by funding firepower of EUR 100 billion, Horizon is the world's largest public research programme. I cannot wait for our best talents to get to work to advance health, clean energy, and frontier technologies, just to name some. We will set up EU-India Innovation Hubs. This will help researchers and start-ups to collaborate on next-gen technology. We are also launching an EU-India Startup Partnership to boost co-creation, and high-potential ventures.
Finally, Prime Minister Modi, dear Narendra,
We both know: Our greatest wealth is our people. That is why I am glad that we are signing an agreement on mobility. We will facilitate the movement of students, researchers, seasonal and highly skilled workers. This is also why we are launching the first EU Legal Gateway Office in India. It will be a one-stop hub to support Indian talent moving to Europe, in full alignment with EU Member States' needs and policies. This is good for our economies. This is good for the friendship between our people. This openness benefits us all.
As we conclude this 16th Summit, let me reflect on another event of deep meaning. Two weeks ago, India marked Makar Sankranti. It is the beginning of Uttarayan, the sun's northward journey. From darkness to light. From stillness to growth. From what was to what can be. That is what makes our Summit so unique and timely. The time is ripe for renewal. For fresh momentum. And for opening a new chapter in EU-India friendship. And this is exactly what we have achieved today, together.
