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International Partnerships

India

India stands as the world's largest democracy and, with a population of 1.4 billion, it is also the most populous country. The World Bank expects India to overtake Japan and Germany and emerge as the world’s third-largest economy by 2030.

Our partnership

As the world's two largest democracies, the European Union and India are united in their commitment to a rules-based global order, effective multilateralism, and sustainable development. In 2004, India was designated as one of the EU's strategic partners.

2022 marked the 60th anniversary of EU-India bilateral relations, highlighting several key achievements:

  • The EU was India's third-largest trading partner in 2021.
  • EU foreign direct investment (FDI) in India reached €87 billion in 2020.
  • Nearly 15% of Indian exports were directed to the EU in 2021.
  • Trade in goods and services between the two amounted to €95.5 billion in 2020.
  • 6,000 EU companies operating in India have created 1.7 million direct jobs and an additional 5 million indirect jobs.
  • The European Investment Bank (EIB) has invested over €3 billion in infrastructure, energy, and climate projects in India.

The collaboration between the EU and India from 2020 to 2025 is steered by the EU-India Strategic Partnership Roadmap, the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and the Global Gateway Strategy.

Furthermore, EU-India Joint Declarations have been adopted to bolster efforts on connectivity, water, and resource efficiency, employing a circular economy approach. In 2023, the EU and India also launched a Trade and Technology Council focusing on digital transformation and green technologies.

Under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe), India is set to receive €90 million in grant funding for the period 2021-2027. Additionally, India is a beneficiary of various multi-country EU programmes.

Team Europe in India brings together the EU, the European Investment Bank, France, Germany and the private sector to deliver on Global Gateway objectives.  

19 FEBRUARY 2024
Climate, Energy, Trade and Innovation Support in India (Commission Implementing Decision on Financing as an Individual Measure)
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(141.89 KB - PDF)
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30 NOVEMBER 2023
Annual action plan 2023 for India
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(973.19 KB - ZIP)
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19 FEBRUARY 2024
Regional Multi-annual Indicative Programme 2021-2027
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(2.04 MB - PDF)
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6 FEBRUARY 2024
Questions and Answers: EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific
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(89.97 KB - PDF)
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19 FEBRUARY 2024
EU-India Strategy
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(469.25 KB - PDF)
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19 FEBRUARY 2024
EU-India Connectivity Partnership
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(318.35 KB - PDF)
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Our flagship initiatives

Sustainable urbanisation
  • Smart cities: For a more inclusive and sustainable urban development by supporting green and sustainable upgrading and rehabilitation of urban infrastructure, with a focus on integrated waste management and climate-sensitive urban management.
  • Access to water: Enabling a 24/7 water supply in Chandigarh, including rehabilitation of 242 km of networks.
  • Urban mobility: European investments for metros across India.
  • Sustainable mobility: Through a new dedicated EIB technical hub in Delhi.
  • Waste solutions for circular economy: Implemented through the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action facility (NAMA).
Energy
  • EU-India Clean Energy and Climate Partnership: Continued support for energy efficiency and renewable energy, including solar, green hydrogen, wind, biofuels and energy storage, (smart) grid integration and financing, climate mitigation and adaptation. 
  • EU-India Green Hydrogen Partnership: Support for policy dialogue and pilot projects on green hydrogen and off-shore wind technology and expertise, supporting EIB’s new €1 billion green hydrogen fund.
  • Energy efficiency: Scaling private sector business models for sustainable electrification of social infrastructure (DESIREE blending programme). 
  • Energy transition: Supporting a just energy transition in coal producing regions.
Green and sustainable finance
  • Loans to green financial institutions: Financing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to support green tech development (Kuali fund). This also supports transfer of best practices between Latin America and the Caribbean, and India. 
  • Green finance market awareness: Providing expertise to public and private financial institutions, helping facilitate specific credit lines (for energy efficiency, clean energy transition, electric vehicles projects), as well as building new pipelines of investment. 
  • Infrastructure investment: Focusing on energy storage and climate financing strategies for private banks through the EU-IFC Accelerating Climate Smart Infrastructure (ACSIIS) in South Asia partnership.
  • Global Green Bonds Initiative: Supporting the issuance of green bonds in India and its green finance frameworks with EIB.
Sustainable trade and agriculture
  • Free trade agreement: Continued support to the ongoing negotiations, including through the establishment of the Federation of European Businesses in India. 
  • Indian and EU private sector cooperation: Supporting responsible business conduct through a new platform.
  • Sustainable consumption and production: Integrating sustainable considerations when dealing with plastic waste management, cotton and bamboo products, organic foods, fair trade, clean technology, waste management and financial inclusion (SWITCH Asia programme).
  • Sustainable agricultural supply chains: Support through equity investment (Huruma Fund).
  • Agro-ecology, forestry and natural farming: Support in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework on Biodiversity.