India-Belgium and India-EU Defence Cooperation

India and Belgium are exploring potential defence engagements, particularly in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain, and ways to strengthen defence industrial cooperation. The discussions were held during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's meeting in New Delhi with Princess Astrid of Belgium and Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken.

Meeting Highlights

• Welcoming of Belgian investments in India's defence sector.
• Encouragement for Belgian companies to expand in India and integrate Indian vendors into their supply chains.
• Agreement to explore an "institutionalised defence cooperation mechanism".

Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth also held discussions with the European Commission's commissioner for defence and space, Andrius Kubilius, focusing on India-EU bilateral defence and security cooperation.

Focus Areas

• Maritime engagements and information-sharing in the Indo-Pacific.
• Defence industrial cooperation with European defence companies in joint projects and co-production opportunities in India.
• Modalities of Indian participation in the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (Pesco) framework.

EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (Pesco)

Pesco is a treaty-based framework that allows EU member states to collaborate on capability development, enhancing operational readiness and contributions of their armed forces.

The EU is open to India's interest in joining projects under Pesco and engaging in negotiations for a Security of Information Agreement (SoIA) to legally bind and protect classified information exchanges.

Strategic Context

This cooperation comes amid efforts by European countries to expand and modernize their armed forces, especially in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and geopolitical uncertainties. India’s strong defence industry is seen as potentially pivotal in the EU’s defence supply chains.

A potential India-EU free trade agreement, once finalized, is expected to further bolster defence cooperation, aligning with similar agreements the EU has with Japan and South Korea.