Modi’s Nordic-Mediterranean push: India deepens strategic footprint across Europe

By Aroonim Bhuyan

THE HAGUE/GOTHENBURG/OSLO/ROME. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four-nation tour of Europe in May 2026 marked one of India’s most consequential diplomatic engagements with the continent in recent years, as New Delhi upgraded ties with the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy through a series of ambitious strategic partnerships spanning defence, trade, technology, clean energy, maritime security and global governance.

The visits – to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy – collectively reflected India’s evolving Europe strategy: building resilient economic and technology partnerships, diversifying supply chains, strengthening maritime and Indo-Pacific cooperation, and aligning with European powers on emerging geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges.

Coming soon after the conclusion of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations and the signing of an India-EU Security and Defence Partnership, the tour signalled a broader convergence between India and Europe amid rising global uncertainty caused by conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, and the restructuring of global supply chains.

Netherlands: A strategic partnership anchored in technology and maritime connectivity

In The Hague, Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten elevated bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership, unveiling a sweeping roadmap covering semiconductors, defence, green hydrogen, water management, maritime logistics, cyber cooperation and higher education.

During Modi’s visit – his second to the Netherlands – he was received by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima at the Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch before summit talks with Jetten.

The Netherlands, long regarded as India’s gateway into Europe through the Port of Rotterdam, emerged as a key partner in New Delhi’s efforts to build resilient supply chains and deepen industrial cooperation with Europe. Both sides agreed to strengthen customs cooperation, expand startup linkages and create digital “soft-landing” programmes for innovators and technology firms.

A major emphasis of the summit was semiconductor cooperation. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding connecting the Dutch semiconductor ecosystem with India’s Semiconductor Mission. Dutch institutions such as Eindhoven University of Technology and University of Twente will partner with Indian institutions including the Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institutes of Technology for advanced research and talent development.

The two countries also launched an India-Netherlands Green Hydrogen Roadmap and agreed to deepen collaboration on renewable energy, circular economy projects, waste-to-value systems and biofuels.

Maritime cooperation emerged as another major pillar. Both sides agreed to develop a “Green and Digital Sea Corridor” connecting Indian and Dutch ports through smart-port technologies, inland waterways development and maritime cyber resilience initiatives.

On security, the Netherlands strongly condemned the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and backed India’s call for stronger international counter-terrorism action through UN and FATF mechanisms. Defence cooperation was expanded through a new letter of intent aimed at co-development, technology transfer and joint production.

The Netherlands also announced its participation in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, co-leading the Capacity Building and Resource Sharing pillar with Germany and the EU.

Sweden: Innovation, sustainability and the next-generation partnership

In Gothenburg, Modi and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the elevation of India-Sweden relations to a Strategic Partnership, anchored in innovation, sustainability and advanced technologies.

The summit, attended by Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, produced the India-Sweden Joint Action Plan 2026-2030, which outlined cooperation across four broad pillars: strategic security dialogue, next-generation economic partnership, emerging technologies and trusted connectivity, and people-centric collaboration focused on resilience, health and sustainability.

The talks highlighted the growing role of Swedish industry and technology in India’s development priorities, especially in clean technologies, advanced manufacturing, sustainable mobility and digital transformation.

Kristersson praised India’s rapid advances in digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence, while Modi invited deeper Swedish participation in India’s economic growth and manufacturing ecosystem.

The two leaders also underlined the importance of implementing the India-EU Free Trade Agreement to accelerate trade, investment and technology flows between India and Europe.

Strategically, both sides reaffirmed support for reforming multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, and committed themselves to resilient supply chains, counter-terrorism cooperation and sustainable growth.

The Swedish leg of the tour reinforced India’s outreach to Europe’s innovation-driven economies and underscored New Delhi’s growing focus on trusted technology partnerships with democratic nations.

Norway: Green Strategic Partnership and Arctic cooperation

In Oslo, Modi and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre elevated bilateral relations to a Green Strategic Partnership, emphasising climate resilience, clean energy, maritime industries, Arctic research and space cooperation.

Addressing a joint media interaction, Modi described India-Europe ties as entering a “new golden era”, despite ongoing global instability. He highlighted the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association as a major framework for expanding economic engagement with Norway and other EFTA members.

The newly announced Green Strategic Partnership aims to combine India’s market scale and talent with Norwegian technology and investment capabilities in sectors such as green shipping, ocean energy, blue economy initiatives and climate solutions.

Research and innovation featured prominently in the discussions. The two sides agreed to expand collaboration in sustainability, geology, digital technologies, artificial intelligence and health sciences, while strengthening linkages between universities, startups and skill-development institutions.

Norway’s strategic relevance in the Arctic also figured prominently. Modi thanked Oslo for supporting India’s Arctic research station Himadri and welcomed enhanced cooperation in polar and climate studies.

Space cooperation received a boost through a new agreement between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Norwegian Space Agency, particularly in Earth observation and ecosystem monitoring.

As maritime nations, India and Norway agreed to deepen collaboration in maritime security, marine economy and capacity building, especially after Norway joined the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

Modi also highlighted a triangular development partnership aimed at helping Global South countries through India’s digital public infrastructure platforms – reflecting New Delhi’s effort to project itself as both a development partner and technology provider.

Italy: Toward a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’

The final and perhaps most expansive leg of the tour came in Rome, where Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni upgraded ties to a Special Strategic Partnership, reflecting a major broadening of bilateral engagement.

The two countries agreed to institutionalise annual summit meetings and establish a foreign ministers-led review mechanism to guide implementation of the partnership.

Economic ties formed a central pillar of the Rome summit. India and Italy set a target of increasing bilateral trade to 20 billion euros by 2029, supported by the India-EU FTA and deeper industrial collaboration in semiconductors, automotive manufacturing, energy, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and digital technologies.

A key strategic focus was the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which both leaders described as critical for future connectivity and trade integration. They called for concrete progress during the first IMEC ministerial meeting scheduled for 2026.

Innovation and advanced technologies occupied a prominent place in the discussions. The two leaders announced the launch of INNOVIT India, an innovation hub designed to connect startups, research institutions and universities in fields such as AI, quantum computing, fintech, semiconductors and logistics.

India and Italy also expanded cooperation in space science, with the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Italian Space Agency agreeing to deepen collaboration in Earth observation, heliophysics and space infrastructure protection.

Defence ties witnessed a substantial upgrade through a Defence Industrial Roadmap focusing on co-development and co-production in helicopters, naval systems, marine armaments and electronic warfare technologies. The two sides also agreed to explore annual high-level military dialogues and launch a Maritime Security Dialogue.

On counter-terrorism, Italy strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and agreed to strengthen coordination with India through the UN, FATF and bilateral security mechanisms.

The Rome summit also emphasised cultural diplomacy and educational cooperation. Italy joined the development of India’s National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, while the two sides announced plans to celebrate 2027 as the Year of Culture and Tourism. Expanded film co-production, heritage partnerships and academic exchanges were also endorsed.

A new India-Europe strategic moment

Taken together, Modi’s four-nation tour reflected the rapid transformation of India-Europe relations from primarily trade-focused engagement into multidimensional strategic cooperation.

Several themes consistently emerged across all four capitals: resilient supply chains, semiconductors, green energy, trusted technologies, maritime security, AI and digital governance, mobility partnerships, and support for a rules-based international order.

Equally significant was the broad alignment on geopolitical issues. All four countries backed greater India-EU engagement, emphasised reform of multilateral institutions including the UN Security Council, condemned terrorism, and reiterated support for freedom of navigation and open maritime commons.

The tour also highlighted Europe’s growing recognition of India as a major economic, technological and geopolitical partner at a time when global power balances are shifting.

For New Delhi, the outreach demonstrated a calibrated effort to build issue-based coalitions across Europe – from Nordic innovation hubs and Arctic cooperation to Mediterranean connectivity and maritime security partnerships.

Beyond bilateral agreements, the visit underlined India’s broader ambition to emerge as a central pillar in a reconfigured Eurasian and Indo-Pacific strategic landscape, with Europe increasingly seen not merely as a trading partner, but as a long-term strategic collaborator in shaping the geopolitical order of the coming decades.