PM Modi Says India’s Global Standing Has Strengthened with Deepening Trade Ties with EU and US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his recent address in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, underlined how India is being perceived in a rapidly evolving global landscape with its trade ties with EU and US.

He described India as ready to compete on the global stage, highlighted the country’s ongoing reform agenda, and linked India’s emerging role to its trade engagements with major partners, with particular emphasis on the European Union and, to a lesser extent, the United States.

India, Considered the World's Trustworthy Trade Partner

PM Modi on India as a ‘Trusted Partner’

Addressing the Upper House, the Prime Minister stated that India is “fully geared to compete at the global stage” and is advancing with the vision of “Reform, Perform and Transform,” adding that the country has “boarded the Reform Express.”

He observed that the world is moving towards a new global order and said that, in this context, India has emerged as a “trusted partner” for many countries.

He pointed to trade agreements concluded with several partners, specifically mentioning the European Union and the United States as part of India’s broader integration with the global economy.

India–EU Trade Ties at the Centre of India’s Outreach

On the European front, India and the EU have given a structured, long-term character to their partnership. Official documents describe the EU as one of India’s largest trading partners, with trade in goods and services having reached record levels in recent years. This expanding trade engagement is one of the key contexts in which India’s image as a reliable partner is being articulated.

Role of the India–EU Trade and Technology Council

A central instrument of this evolving partnership is the India–EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), established through a joint statement in February 2023. The TTC is described as a high-level coordination platform to address strategic challenges at the intersection of trade, trusted technology and security, and to deepen the bilateral relationship. It is designed to provide regular political-level guidance on core economic and technological issues of mutual interest.

Priority Areas of India–EU Cooperation

India–EU Cooperation

The TTC works through three dedicated working groups that focus on strategic technologies and digital governance, green and clean energy technologies, and trade, investment and resilient value chains.

According to official readouts, these working groups are intended to support cooperation on secure digital infrastructure, standards, supply chain resilience and the transition to sustainable energy systems.

At the second TTC ministerial meeting held in New Delhi in February 2025, both sides reaffirmed that the mechanism is a key forum for enhancing resilience, strengthening connectivity and advancing green and clean technologies.

Official statements also record that priority market access issues are being addressed under this framework, including progress on clearances for specific agricultural and aquaculture products. From the EU side, the TTC has been described as central to deepening the trade and technology partnership, at a time when EU–India trade in goods and services is at historic highs.

India–US Trade Partnership

With the United States, India’s trade relationship has expanded to make the US India’s largest trading partner. A bilateral brief issued by the Embassy of India in Washington notes that total India–US trade in goods and services stood at 190.1 billion dollars in 2023, based on US data.

In an official statement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has noted that the United States views India as a trusted partner and that both sides remain committed to expanding trade and commerce, while India continues to protect the interests of its farmers, fishermen, small industries and businesses.

Official Descriptions of India’s Role

Taken together, the Prime Minister’s intervention in Parliament and the official texts issued by India, the European Union and the United States provide a consistent picture of how India’s role is being framed. The domestic articulation presents India as a trusted partner in a fast-changing global order, with recent trade engagements with the EU and the US positioned as important elements of this standing.

On the external side, EU and US government documents refer to India as a key or trusted partner in trade, technology and broader economic cooperation, and link this partnership to shared interests in secure, sustainable and rules-based economic linkages. For readers focused on India–Europe relations, these developments underline that India–EU cooperation is now anchored in a comprehensive, forward-looking framework, with India’s strengthened reputation reflected in how major partners officially describe their engagement with New Delhi.