India–EU Security and Defence Partnership signed, as both sides deepen strategic cooperation
India and the European Union have signed a Security and Defence Partnership, expanding cooperation from maritime security and cyber threats to space security and defence industry ties, alongside a wider push to strengthen India–EU strategic relations.
A new strategic framework with the EU
India and the European Union have signed an EU–India Security and Defence Partnership, signalling a deeper strategic alignment at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty. The agreement sets out an overarching framework for cooperation across a wide range of security domains, including maritime security, cyber and hybrid threats, counter-terrorism, space security, and the protection of critical infrastructure such as undersea cables.
The pact was signed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and EU foreign and security policy chief Kaja Kallas, with senior leaders present during the summit-related engagements. Both sides described the deal as a milestone that formalises and expands ongoing cooperation, while opening pathways for new, more operational collaboration.
What cooperation could look like
Beyond traditional diplomatic coordination, the partnership is positioned to encourage more structured work on defence industry and technology, including discussions around joint development and production of military capabilities. The emphasis is on translating political intent into coordination on concrete issues—sea lanes security, information resilience, and coordinated responses to transnational threats.
From India’s perspective, the agreement strengthens its ability to engage Europe as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. For the EU, it offers a route to diversify security partnerships and bolster capability development as European defence priorities evolve.
Why it matters for India
India has increasingly pursued issue-based coalitions with major economic blocs, and the EU partnership supports that approach by combining political alignment with functional areas such as cyber security, counter-terrorism cooperation, and defence industrial collaboration. The deal is also expected to complement broader India–EU engagement on trade and technology, enabling parallel tracks of cooperation rather than siloed dialogues.
While many components will depend on follow-on mechanisms and implementation timelines, the signing itself marks a significant step in giving India–EU security cooperation a formal, wide-spectrum structure.