Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four-nation Europe tour, running from May 15 to May 20 following his UAE visit, aims to deepen India’s strategic and economic ties across the continent. The trip—covering the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy—will emphasize trade, advanced technologies, the green transition, defence manufacturing and innovation partnerships.
The visit follows the conclusion of India-EU free trade agreement negotiations and the earlier signing of the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership framework. Briefing reporters, Secretary (West) Sibi George said the European leg will centre on India’s “three Ts”—trade, technology and talent—as New Delhi seeks to present itself as a trusted partner for manufacturing and innovation.
In the Netherlands, Modi will hold meetings with Dutch leaders, including Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and will meet King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. Talks in The Hague are expected to highlight semiconductors, maritime cooperation, renewable energy, agriculture, water management and defence technology. The Netherlands is home to a large Indian and Surinamese-Hindustani community, reinforcing people-to-people links.
Modi then travels to Gothenburg, Sweden, on May 17 for discussions focused on artificial intelligence, green transition, resilient supply chains and defence cooperation. India and Sweden aim to build on the Sweden-India Technology and AI Corridor launched earlier this year. Modi will also participate in a high-level pan-European CEOs’ forum, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and senior industry leaders from Europe and the UK are expected to join.
Officials note growing Swedish defence involvement in India, citing the establishment of Saab’s Carl-Gustaf manufacturing facility in Haryana—its first outside Sweden—as a notable example of defence industrial cooperation.
On May 19 Norway will host the third India-Nordic Summit, bringing together leaders from Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. The summit will focus on clean technologies, Arctic cooperation, renewable energy, digitisation and sustainable industrial transition. India’s trade with the Nordic countries has reached nearly USD 19 billion, and over 700 Nordic firms operate in India. Modi’s visit will mark the first bilateral trip by an Indian prime minister to Norway in more than four decades and is expected to cover offshore wind, carbon capture, battery technologies, Arctic research and space cooperation. India and Norway have expanded collaboration in the Arctic, and ISRO recently installed antennas at the KSAT facility in Svalbard.
The tour concludes in Italy, where Modi will meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella. India-Italy ties have expanded rapidly, with the two leaders meeting repeatedly since 2023 and bilateral trade topping 40 billion euros. Planned discussions in Rome will likely focus on defence industrial collaboration, maritime security, counter-terror financing, clean energy and advanced manufacturing. Modi will also visit the UN Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters, underscoring India’s focus on food security, sustainable agriculture and multilateral cooperation.
Officials expect several agreements and memoranda of understanding to be signed during the visit. The tour is being viewed as one of India’s most extensive diplomatic outreaches to Europe in recent years amid evolving geopolitical and economic alignments.
