The President of the European Council, António Luís Santos da Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be chief guests at India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.
At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Council President António Luís Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will pay a State Visit to India from January 25 to 27. Both leaders will attend the Republic Day as chief guests.
During their visit, Costa and von der Leyen will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on January 27. They are scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold restricted as well as delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi.
An India-EU Business Forum is expected to take place on the sidelines of the summit, bringing together senior policymakers and business leaders from both sides.
The summit is expected to focus on advancing cooperation across key sectors of mutual interest as part of the India-EU Strategic Partnership.
India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004.
The 15th India-EU Summit was held virtually on July 15, 2020. Bilateral ties have expanded significantly since then, particularly following the historic visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February 2025.
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The MEA said the participation of the EU’s top leadership as Republic Day chief guests, along with the summit, would further deepen the India-EU Strategic Partnership and push collaboration in priority areas of mutual interest.
