India – EIAS

How The EU Can Leverage The Current FTA Negotiations To Secure A Mutually Beneficial CRM Partnership With India

As the EU is set to accelerate on its path toward climate neutrality, technological sovereignty and independence, the European Union’s access to Critical Raw Materials (CRM) poses a pressing structural priority, with CRMs playing fundamental roles in the manufacturing of semiconductors, solar panels, wind turbines, and other essential components of the emergent green and digital economy. Despite this apparent strategic importance, the EU relies on a dangerously bottlenecked import base. With China producing 86% of the world’s rare earth minerals, the EU imports 100% of its supply of heavy rare earth elements (REE) from China. Such a dependency transforms CRMs from merely a supply chain concern into a genuine geopolitical challenge. This policy brief argues that CRM integration into the EU-India FTA would be a strategic necessity for the security of Europe’s industrial future.

The Joint Communication on a New Strategic EU-India Agenda: Will Brussels and New Delhi Deliver?

The EU’s Joint Communication on a New Strategic EU–India Agenda, released in September 2025, signals a renewed push to elevate India as a core strategic partner. Centred on trade, technology, security, connectivity, and global governance, the agenda reflects shared interests amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. While economic potential and security cooperation are significant, persistent trade barriers and regulatory frictions remain. Its success will hinge on effective implementation, with the partnership offering scope to support international stability and strengthen multilateral cooperation.

India and China Re-engage at the SCO: A Signal of a Shifting Multipolar Order

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) 25th Summit in Tianjin, China, the image of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi clasping hands captured a shifting geopolitical order. Once dismissed as a merely symbolic forum, the SCO is emerging as a platform for financial innovation, technological coordination, and diplomatic thaw—most notably between India and China. Its evolution signals a broader attempt to redefine the architecture of global governance.

From BRICS to BRICS+: India, the EU and Shifting Global Power Dynamics

From 22 to 24 October 2024, the sixteenth BRICS summit was held in Kazan, Russia. During this event, the initial members of the organisation (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) were joined by Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking the launch of BRICS+. Just a few weeks later, Indonesia, the most populated country in Southeast Asia, also joined the expanding group.

EU-India Relations: Progress and Pitfalls

In May 2024, Narendra Modi was re-elected Indian Prime Minister (PM), winning a third term. In doing so, Modi ensured the continuity of his political programme, including a commitment to forge a closer relationship with the European Union (EU). The combination of India’s General Election result with the June 2024 European election has created a momentum for the two partners to reassess their bilateral relations. Weighing in on this dynamic, the EU and its Member States have been encouraging India’s engagement to push the development of its infrastructure network and to address social and human rights concerns.

Maldives Beyond the Myopic Lens: Why Major Powers Seek Leverage

Following the recent elections that tilted the Maldives towards a more outspoken pro-China stance, the geopolitical dynamics have been set into motion, presenting a compelling opportunity for the European Union. The changing circumstances opens the Maldives’ burgeoning role in global affairs, paving the way for enhanced collaboration in diplomacy, climate action, and reaffirming its critical importance in the theatre of South Asian politics.

Clearing the Haze: Addressing South Asia’s Air Pollution Crisis

In the bustling cities of Lahore, New Delhi, and Dhaka, a common threat looms large, blurring the borders that separate these cities. Air pollution, a relentless adversary, knows no boundaries, permeating the skies and lungs of millions across the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

Complexities and Visions of Outer-Space between the EU and Asia

More recent global competition has reignited outer space curiosity, as well as the use of it as an illustration of a country’s competency, capability, and focus. Those States able to reach outer space by their own means demonstrate their power due to the financial strain required. Pushing back the limits of human exploration and establishing such ‘firsts’ conveys prestige and notoriety. The most recent ‘first’ was achieved on 23 August 2023. That day, the Chandayaar-3 mission led to an Indian lander known as Vikram touching down on the Lunar South Pole. There it dispatched its rover, Pragyan. This mission made India the fourth State to land an unmanned probe on the Moon after the US, Russia, and China. Moreover, it made it the first State to reach the lunar south pole.

INDIALOGUE Festival 21-24 November 2023

INDIALOGUE is a biennial festival in Ghent and Leuven that focuses on dialogue and exchange with the Indian art world. With this multidisciplinary 4-day festival, organisers Maghenta and India House Leuven aim for a stimulating and innovative exchange between contemporary and (more) traditional performing arts. Besides programming high-quality work, it aims to be a creative hub for less dominant artistic expressions through new collaborations, artistic blends and unexpected encounters.