From Gothenburg to Rome: PM Modi’s Europe Tour Puts the India–EU Agenda in Focus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five-day Europe visit from 15 to 20 May 2026 linked three key bilateral stops — Sweden, Norway and Italy — with India’s wider engagement with Europe and the EU. Across the tour, the talks centred on strategic partnerships, trade and investment, clean energy, innovation, defence, maritime security and the next phase of India–EU economic cooperation.

Sweden: Strategic partnership and innovation

In Sweden, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the two sides agreed to elevate ties to a Strategic Partnership. The visit focused on trade, technology, defence, innovation and clean growth, with India and Sweden also announcing new momentum for cooperation in emerging technologies and industrial partnerships.

Sweden honoured Prime Minister Modi with the Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross, in recognition of his contribution to strengthening the relationship. The visit also reinforced Sweden’s role as an EU member state in India’s broader Europe strategy, especially in areas linked to technology, sustainability and industrial cooperation.

PM Modi’s Europe tour marked a new phase in India’s strategic engagement with Sweden, Norway, and Italy — strengthening partnerships across innovation, green growth, trade, technology, and connectivity.

Norway: Green growth and Nordic cooperation

In Oslo, Prime Minister Modi joined the third India–Nordic Summit and held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. India and Norway elevated ties to a Green Strategic Partnership and discussed trade, investment, climate action, the blue economy, energy transition, research, higher education, Arctic cooperation and the follow-up to the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement.

The two sides set an ambition to double current trade by 2030 and encouraged business communities to help deliver TEPA-linked investment and job creation goals in India. Prime Minister Modi also had an audience with King Harald V and attended the India–Norway Business and Research Summit, adding a strong commercial and research focus to the visit.

Italy: Special strategic partnership

The final stop of the tour was Rome, where Prime Minister Modi met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella. India and Italy agreed to upgrade their relationship to a Special Strategic Partnership and expand cooperation in trade and investment, defence and security, science and technology, space, energy, artificial intelligence, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides also discussed the India–EU Free Trade Agreement and the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor as part of the wider strategic picture. At FAO headquarters, Prime Minister Modi received the Agricola Medal and dedicated it to India’s farmers and agricultural scientists, adding a development and food security dimension to the visit.

India–Europe message

Taken together, the tour showed a clear pattern: India is using bilateral visits with European countries to deepen practical cooperation while keeping the wider India–EU agenda in view. The common themes were innovation, green transition, resilient supply chains, defence ties, digital cooperation and stronger business links, all of which are now part of India’s broader European diplomacy.