New Delhi: After hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral meetings on Wednesday with the leaders of Spain, Finland, Estonia, Croatia and Serbia, looking to further deepen cooperation in technology, innovation, security and defense with Europe, which is strongly participating in the ongoing AI Impact Summit. With 26 countries officially represented, this is the largest ever presence of European countries at a technology-based event in India, according to official sources.In the formal talks, EU leaders/members expressed unanimous support for the early implementation of the India-EU FTA. It was also learned that they pledged to support its early ratification in the European Council and the European Parliament.“They are all keen to strengthen trade relations with India to benefit from the free trade agreement and create new opportunities and jobs for people,” a government source said.In Modi’s meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, both sides supported ongoing defense cooperation, welcomed the progress made in the cooperation between Tata and Airbus for the final assembly line of C-295 transport aircraft in Vadodara, and stressed the importance of defense industrial cooperation on the basis of joint development and joint production.
Sanchez highlighted the importance of the AI Summit and expressed confidence that its outcomes will meaningfully contribute to shaping global AI governance, while supporting close cooperation between India and Spain to leverage the potential of AI for comprehensive development and societal benefit.They “reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism,” a government statement said, adding that the two prime ministers hailed the India-EU FTA as a major milestone that will help unlock the enormous trade and investment potential.
Modise is expected to meet the leaders of the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, the Slovak Republic and Liechtenstein during the next two days.For India, a strong European presence was key to a successful AI Summit, as Europe remains a hub for cutting-edge AI innovation, digital governance, and responsible AI frameworks.Government officials noted that the European Union plays a prominent role in setting global standards, including artificial intelligence, and is also the first bloc globally to enact comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence.
While France plays a key role in the governance of AI and its applications, and the UK has organized its first AI Summit in 2023, the Netherlands and Belgium host important companies in the semiconductor supply chain such as ASML and IMEC, respectively.India works closely with European countries to expand AI-led growth: official | Page 14While Germany is Europe’s leading semiconductor hub, sources said Estonia is also a world leader in AI, ranking sixth globally for AI startups.
“India is working closely with several European countries to learn from each other and expand AI-led growth and development,” an official said.Modi and Finnish Prime Minister Petri Orpo called for doubling bilateral trade and increasing technology cooperation, including joint development of quantum technologies, 6G, renewable energy, circular economy and defence, as they agreed that the India-EU FTA will serve as a catalyst for progress and common prosperity.
In his meeting with Modi, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also called for early implementation of the Indian Free Trade Agreement to boost bilateral trade.“In recent diplomatic engagements, Europe has expressed an unequivocal vote of confidence in the vitality of the India-Europe strategic partnership, which is underpinned by artificial intelligence, digital innovation, strategic cooperation, economic growth and shared global priorities,” an official said.India works closely with European countries to expand AI-led growth: official While Germany is Europe’s leading semiconductor hub, sources said Estonia is also a world leader in AI, ranking sixth globally for AI startups.
“India is working closely with several European countries to learn from each other and expand AI-led growth and development,” an official said. Modi and Finnish Prime Minister Petri Orpo called for doubling bilateral trade and increasing technology cooperation, including joint development of quantum technologies, 6G, renewable energy, circular economy and defence, as they agreed that the India-EU FTA will serve as a catalyst for progress and common prosperity.
In his meeting with Modi, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also called for early implementation of the Indian Free Trade Agreement to boost bilateral trade. “In recent diplomatic engagements, Europe has expressed an unequivocal vote of confidence in the vitality of the India-Europe strategic partnership, which is underpinned by artificial intelligence, digital innovation, strategic cooperation, economic growth and shared global priorities,” an official said.
