“The visit of the whole College [of Commissioners] to India, first and foremost, is a very strong political signal … We are going to really fulfill this strategic partnership with new areas of sectoral cooperation.”
On top of the Commission’s visit to India, penciled in for around Feb. 27 and 28., the two sides will hold a meeting of their Trade and Technology Council, a bilateral forum that addresses a range of policy issues.
Von der Leyen announced Tuesday that her team’s first major trip since it was confirmed in December would be to the world’s most populous nation, showcasing it as part of a push to broaden the European Union’s relationships as protectionist Donald Trump returns to the White House and relations between Brussels and Beijing cool.
Von der Leyen and Šefčovič, one of her most trusted aides, have chalked up a series of recent trade wins — including a long-awaited agreement with the Mercosur group of South American nations, and upgrades to deals with Switzerland and Mexico. In the Asia-Pacific, the EU has also just resumed talks with Malaysia after a hiatus of more than a decade.