President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council António Costa will be the chief guests for the Republic Day celebrations this year, the Ministry of External Affairs announced today.
This marks the first time top EU officials have been invited in this capacity, highlighting India’s strategic outreach to Europe at a time of global instability. The two EU leaders will be visiting India from 25 January to 27 January, and they will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on 27 January 2026.
The MEA in a statement said that during the visit, EC President Leyen and EU President Costa will meet President Droupadi Murmu, and will hold restricted and delegation-level talks with PM Narendra Modi. They are also expected to attend an India-EU Business Forum to be organised on the sidelines of the India-EU summit.
India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004, and are in the final stages of signing a trade agreement. The India-EU summit in Delhi, first after the virtual summit in 2020 during the pandemic, is aimed at building on the EU-India strategic partnership and further strengthening collaboration across key policy areas.
Trade, security and defence, the clean transition and people-to-people cooperation will top the agenda of the discussions, said a statement by the EU. António Costa said, “India is a crucial partner for the EU. Together, we share the capacity and responsibility to protect the rules-based international order. This meeting will be a key opportunity to build on our partnership and drive progress in our cooperation.”
Von der Leyen and Costa will be the first European Union leaders to witness India’s Republic Day parade, which features contingents from the armed forces, tableaux from various states, and aerial flypasts. India’s Republic Day has long served as a platform for fostering international relations, with chief guests often symbolising key alliances. Since 1950, when Indonesian President Sukarno became the first invitee, the tradition has featured leaders from diverse nations.
This year’s invitation to EU leaders reflects India’s recent pivot toward Europe, which has been accelerated after the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The timing of the visit gains added importance against the backdrop of advanced negotiations for an India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Talks, relaunched in 2022 after a decade-long pause, are nearing completion, with 20 out of 24 chapters finalised.
Indian Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has stated that both sides are “very close” to sealing the deal, potentially before the leaders’ summit. The agreement aims to slash tariffs on goods like automobiles, wines, and textiles, while granting India better access to EU markets for labour-intensive exports such as apparel and pharmaceuticals. Sensitive sectors like agriculture have been excluded to protect Indian farmers, addressing long-standing concerns.
Amid rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions, including stalled India-US trade talks, the FTA could boost bilateral trade, currently valued at over $120 billion, by up to 30% in the coming years.
