Redefining Partnership
By Piotr Opalinski
(Expert, Centre for Intl Relations, Poland)
The global order is undergoing profound transformation. The post-World War II system, historically anchored in U.S. leadership and Western European institutions, is giving way to a complex, multipolar environment. Traditional mechanisms of global governance face pressure: trade disputes increasingly serve as instruments of foreign policy, multilateral institutions struggle to maintain relevance, and regional tensions in the Indo-Pacific test national resilience. In this context, India encounters both strategic challenges and opportunities.
Safeguarding long-term economic and security interests requires New Delhi to look beyond traditional partners and to build relationships anchored in institutional stability, technological sophistication, and shared values. The European Union represents a key strategic partner, offering economic scale, institutional coherence, and avenues for long-term collaboration.
India’s security environment is increasingly multidimensional. Rising border tensions, maritime security concerns in the Indo-Pacific, and the evolution of asymmetric threats compel New Delhi to diversify strategic partnerships. Over reliance on a narrow set of allies could constrain policy flexibility and expose India to geopolitical shocks. Engaging European partners is therefore a strategic necessity, enabling India to safeguard economic growth, enhance defence capabilities, and bolster its credibility on the global stage.
The European Union combines economic clout, institutional coherence, and adherence to rules. Its rules-based approach to international engagement provides a stable reference point for Indian foreign policy. Policies in cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and defence modernisation are particularly relevant, creating opportunities for sustained cooperation that extend beyond ad hoc arrangements or unilateral agreements.
Economically, the European Union is India’s largest trading partner. In the fiscal year 2023–24, EU–India trade reached $137.5 billion, comprising $75.85 billion in exports from India and $60.68 billion in imports from the EU, accounting for approximately 12.3% of India’s total trade. By comparison, the United States and China recorded lower trade volumes: $120.3 billion and $118.4 billion, respectively. This underscores the EU’s pivotal role in supporting India’s economic growth and industrial expansion.
The EU provides Indian businesses with access to advanced manufacturing, high-value technologies, and sustainable energy solutions. Within the EU, Central European economies such as Poland offer particular opportunities for industrial collaboration, joint ventures, and knowledge transfer. Leveraging Poland’s position allows Indian companies to access broader European markets under uniform regulatory standards, enhancing efficiency and reducing transactional risks. Poland’s diversified economic structure, covering sectors such as automotive, electronics, green technologies, and IT, aligns with India’s domestic priorities, including Make in India, clean energy expansion, and digital infrastructure development. Collaborative projects in these areas can accelerate technological advancement while embedding India more deeply within European value chains.
India’s defence requirements are increasingly complex, encompassing modernisation of armed forces, technology acquisition, and interoperability. Engagement with EU member states provides India access to advanced defence technologies, strategic intelligence, and frameworks for collaborative research and development. Countries such as Poland, with experience in integrating advanced systems, maintaining readiness along eastern borders, and balancing NATO commitments, offer comparative insights valuable for India. Diversifying defence suppliers reduces reliance on any single source and strengthens strategic autonomy.
While Poland is not an Indo-Pacific neighbour, its approach to balancing regional security priorities with multilateral commitments provides lessons relevant to India. In addition, EU-wide collaboration allows India to access technology, training, and intelligence-sharing platforms that support both conventional and asymmetric defence capabilities. Such partnerships enhance India’s preparedness while reinforcing long-term strategic trust between Europe and India.
Sustainable partnerships are grounded in common institutional values. India and EU countries share democratic governance frameworks, rule of law, transparency, and accountability. These shared norms facilitate predictable policy coordination and reduce friction in trade, intellectual property, and environmental regulation. Poland’s transition from a post-communist state to a consolidated democracy provides practical insights into managing rapid economic transformation while maintaining social cohesion — a lesson applicable to India’s ongoing modernisation and urbanisation challenges.
Technological collaboration is a critical pillar of India–Europe engagement. European nations are global leaders in renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies such as AI and robotics. Poland, with its skilled engineering talent, vibrant startup ecosystem, and resilient innovation culture, complements India’s ambitions. Joint projects in automation, green energy, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure can accelerate domestic modernisation in India while providing Europe access to a large, dynamic market. Coordinated innovation strategies also strengthen supply chain resilience, a key priority amid global uncertainty.
Focused collaboration in four interlinked areas can enhance partnership: Defence Innovation – Joint development of dual-use technologies, cyber capabilities, and autonomous systems.
Energy Transition – Collaboration on solar, hydrogen, and smart grid technologies. Digital Infrastructure – Building secure, scalable platforms for data management and AI deployment. Talent and Knowledge Exchange – Professional exchanges in engineering, ICT, and research. Targeted cooperation in these areas strengthens India’s industrial capabilities, facilitates integration into European supply chains, and deepens strategic trust.
The current international environment is marked by fragmentation and uncertainty. Transactional U.S. policies, uneven European responses, and the rising influence of Asian economies underscore the need for proactive, autonomous engagement. India’s pragmatic foreign policy, blending economic ambition with strategic autonomy, exemplifies effective navigation in a multipolar era. Strengthened cooperation with the EU enhances India’s global leverage while enabling it to manage challenges in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
For Europe, remaining relevant requires combining normative influence with concrete strategic capabilities. Countries such as Poland contribute technological expertise and policy capacity within the EU framework, supporting effective engagement. Together, India and the EU can build a partnership that is economically productive, technologically advanced, and strategically resilient.
The 21st century rewards partnerships that deliver tangible results. India’s engagement with Europe, leveraging shared values, technological collaboration, economic complementarity, and defence cooperation, enables New Delhi to secure critical advantages while strengthening Europe’s global standing.
In an era of strategic multipolarity, success will favour those who act decisively and collaborate effectively. India and Europe, by combining foresight, innovation, and practical partnership, have the potential to redefine global geopolitics—not through dominance, but through resilience, trust, and shared development. The coming decades may belong to those who actively shape the rules of the game rather than simply react to unfolding events.—INFA