NEW DELHI: India and the European Union have unveiled an ambitious roadmap to deepen cooperation in technology, trade and innovation, with a major focus on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, clean energy, digital connectivity and resilient supply chains.
The decisions were taken at the third meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) held in Brussels. India was represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada. The EU delegation included European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Innovation Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva.
The TTC, originally launched in 2022 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was created to strengthen cooperation in trade, trusted technologies and security-related issues. Both sides agreed that the current structure should become more result-oriented, with future work focusing on specific industrial value chains and stronger participation from industry experts.
India and the EU agreed to increase cooperation in AI, quantum technologies, high-performance computing, semiconductor ecosystems and next-generation telecom. They will explore a joint roadmap for responsible AI use, including governance frameworks for healthcare applications. Both sides also agreed to study ways to make the EU Digital Identity Wallet work alongside India’s DigiLocker platform.
Semiconductors emerged as a strong pillar of the partnership. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to building resilient semiconductor supply chains and reducing dependence on limited global manufacturing hubs. A joint India-EU Semiconductor Roundtable will be organised during Semicon India 2026. Partnerships between India’s semiconductor design facilities and European chip initiatives will also be explored to support advanced chip manufacturing and silicon prototyping.
India and the EU announced plans to begin formal negotiations for India’s association with Horizon Europe, the EU’s €93.5 billion research programme, with negotiations expected to be completed by the end of 2026. A first India-EU Innovation Hub dedicated to electric vehicle charging technologies and testing will also be established, jointly led by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and India’s Automotive Research Association. Ongoing joint research projects in renewable hydrogen, marine pollution monitoring and EV battery recycling were also highlighted.
Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, clean energy and critical technologies. Trade discussions covered agricultural market access, technical regulations and standards. On the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, both sides stressed the need for timely access to accredited verification services for Indian companies.
India and the EU agreed to explore a dedicated TTC platform for the “Blue Valleys” initiative to create specialised industrial clusters. A Deep-Tech Startup Partnership involving the European Innovation Council and Start-Up India was also announced. The India-EU Business Forum will now take place annually, with industry-specific meetings on priority sectors.
The next ministerial meeting of the India-EU TTC is scheduled to take place in New Delhi in 2027.
Agencies