Jaishankar, European Parliament members discuss India-EU ties

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday held discussions with a delegation of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in New Delhi, led by Angelika Niebler, focusing on strengthening India-European Union ties and expanding areas of cooperation. During the interaction, Jaishankar highlighted the growing convergence between India and the European Union and described the relationship as entering a new phase of engagement. He expressed confidence that the European Parliament will play a key role in supporting this evolving partnership. The meeting comes amid increasing collaboration between India and the EU across sectors such as trade, technology, connectivity and security.
Earlier in the day, the India-European Parliament Parliamentary Friendship Group held its first meeting at Sansad Bhavan. BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who heads the group, said the initiative would further strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and deepen engagement between lawmakers on both sides.
The discussions follow Jaishankar’s recent visit to Brussels, where he held talks with senior European leaders and foreign ministers. The visit focused on enhancing cooperation and unlocking economic potential through the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The External Affairs Minister has underlined that the FTA would mark a key milestone in bilateral relations, while also supporting efforts to build resilient supply chains and promote stronger business linkages.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met with Angelika Niebler, Chair of the Delegation for Relations with India (D-IN) in the European Parliament, along with other members of the visiting EU Parliamentary delegation at the Parliament House in the national capital on Monday.The meeting marked the first interaction of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for the EU with the visiting delegation.