António Luís Santos da Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will be the Chief Guests at India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.
According to an official government release, the two EU leaders will visit India on a State Visit from January 25 to 27, 2026. The visit will take place at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the visit, President Costa and President von der Leyen will co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on January 27, 2026. The summit will focus on strengthening cooperation in key areas of mutual interest under the India-EU Strategic Partnership.
Meetings with Droupadi Murmu
As part of the official programme, the EU leaders will meet President Droupadi Murmu. They will also hold restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“At the invitation of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the President of the European Council, H.E. Mr. António Luís Santos da Costa and the President of the European Commission, H.E. Ms. Ursula von der Leyen will be on a State Visit to India from 25-27 January 2026 as Chief Guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations. During the visit, the leaders will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on 27 January 2026,” stated the MEA.
Business forum on the sidelines
MEA said an India-EU Business Forum is also expected to be held alongside the summit to strengthen economic and commercial engagement. “During the visit, President Costa and President von der Leyen will meet Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji, and hold restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi. An India-EU Business Forum is also expected to be organised on the sidelines of the India-EU Summit,” stated the MEA.
India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004. The 15th India-EU Summit was held virtually on July 15, 2020. Ties between the two sides have grown steadily since then.“India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004.
The 15th India-EU Summit was held virtually on 15 July 2020. Bilateral ties have expanded and deepened across a wide range of areas, particularly following the historic visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February 2025,” stated the MEA.
The visit comes at a time when India and the European Union are close to finalising a Free Trade Agreement. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that 20 out of the 24 chapters of the proposed India-EU FTA have already been completed.
He said both sides are working closely to meet the timeline ahead of the leaders’ meeting. “We have closed 20 out of 24 chapters completely, there are few issues which are still ongoing negotiations, which we are virtually engaged on a day-to-day basis, and we are trying to see if we can meet the timeline before our leaders can meet,” he told ANI