Decoding the news. In a phase of transition for the international order, marked by trade tensions, technological disruption, and intensifying geopolitical competition, the partnership takes on a significance that goes well beyond the bilateral level.
- For Italy, it means projecting its Mediterranean centrality into the Indo-Pacific. For India, it means consolidating its global projection while anchoring itself more firmly to Europe’s democracies.
Operational detail:
- Aspides: On September 7, the Italian destroyer Caio DuilioIndia and the European Union are strengthening their cooperation on security, defense, and trade.
- From joint naval exercises under Aspides and Atalanta to the Political and Security Committee’s visit to New Delhi, culminating with a phone call between Giorgia Meloni and Narendra Modi, the signals of a strategic convergence are multiplying. a Passex with the Indian Navy’s INS Surat.
- Rear Admiral Andrea Quondamatteo described it as a crucial step to safeguard collective security along strategic sea lanes.
- Atalanta: A few days earlier, in the Seychelles, the Spanish frigate Navarra hosted activities with the Indian First Training Squadron.
- The focus was on training, interoperability, and onboard systems, consistent with New Delhi’s effort to diversify its military supply chain away from Russia.
The political level. The EU’s Political and Security Committee is visiting India this week for the first time. On the agenda: counterterrorism, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, space, defense industrial cooperation, disinformation, and maritime domain awareness.
- Chair Delphine Pronk called cooperation with India “vital,” while Ambassador Hervé Delphin described the two sides as natural partners. The immediate goal is to finalize the long-negotiated free trade agreement by year’s end and prepare for the 2026 summit.
The Rome–New Delhi axis. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is pressing to accelerate the EU trade deal, under negotiation for two decades.
- In their September 10 call, Meloni and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi reviewed the 2025–2029 Joint Strategic Action Plan. The discussion also covered Imec, the India–Middle East–Europe corridor, and technological cooperation, with an eye to the 2026 AI summit in India.
The context. These India–EU initiatives come just days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, where Modi’s appearance alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sparked unease in Western capitals.
- Yet the sequence of diplomatic moves points to a structural alignment with Europe. All this unfolds as Modi and Donald Trump prepare for a tentative reset amid ongoing trade tensions.
(Foto: Aspides)
