EU and India enter into a partnership on defence and security

The EU and India have entered into a partnership on defense and security at the summit in New Delhi.

This appears from the declaration from the summit.

The partnership constitutes the first overarching framework for cooperation on defense and security between the two parties.

According to the declaration from the summit, the partnership is to strengthen the ties between the EU and India in, among other things, maritime security, the defense industry and technology, cyber and hybrid threats, space activities, and counterterrorism.

On the social media platform X, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomes the agreement.

– Today, the world’s two largest democracies have entered into a security and defense partnership.

– A platform for closer cooperation on the strategic issues that matter most, from the defense industry to maritime security.

– This is how steadfast partners work together, writes von der Leyen.

And more steps may be on the way.

The EU and India have also launched negotiations on an agreement on information security.

It is intended to facilitate the exchange of classified information.

This may pave the way for even stronger cooperation in areas related to security and defense.

At Dansk Industri, the director for defense and security, Joachim Finkielman, hopes that the partnership can also have significance for Danish defense companies.

– It is really positive to have a framework for more formalized cooperation on defense and security between India and the EU. There are great opportunities in both technology, highly specialized engineers, and raw materials.

– We have not yet seen the details of how the cooperation is intended to be implemented, but it is interesting and relevant also for Danish defense companies, says Joachim Finkielman.

The defense and security partnership with India will be the EU’s third in Asia.

The two existing agreements are with Japan and South Korea.