Belgium PM Bart De Wever's India visit boosts bilateral ties and India-EU partnership
Synopsis
Belgian PM Bart De Wever's New Delhi visit delivered more than diplomatic optics — a defence letter of intent, a CBI-Belgian Federal Police MoU on cybercrime and organised crime, mutual industry pacts, and Belgium's backing for India's UNSC permanent seat. Set against the recently concluded India-EU FTA, this visit marks a structural deepening of ties, not just a courtesy call.
Key Takeaways
Belgian PM Bart De Wever visited India from 2 to 4 September 2025 , holding talks with PM Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House .
The two governments signed a letter of intent on defence cooperation and finalised multiple defence-industrial collaborations.
A CBI-Belgian Federal Police MoU was concluded on cooperation against transnational organised crime and cybercrime.
India announced the appointment of a defence attaché to Brussels ; Belgium had already placed one in New Delhi .
Belgium reaffirmed support for India's permanent UNSC membership bid and condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 2025.
The visit follows the concluded India-EU FTA negotiations in January 2025 and the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue in Brussels in July 2025 .
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrapped up high-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on 4 September 2025, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) describing the visit as injecting fresh momentum into both the India-Belgium bilateral relationship and the broader India-European Union (EU) partnership. De Wever is on an official visit to India from 2 to 4 September, accompanied by Belgian Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade Theo Francken.
Strategic Context
MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George, speaking at a special media briefing, noted that the visit builds on the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue held in Brussels in July 2025. It also follows the successful conclusion of India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations — described by George as 'the mother of all deals' — in January 2025. 'The growing India-EU strategic partnership has given fresh momentum to our engagement with Europe,' George said. 'This visit significantly contributes to our broader engagement with the European Union.'
Defence Cooperation Takes Centre Stage
The two governments signed a letter of intent on defence cooperation, providing a formal institutional basis to what officials described as an expanding defence relationship. In a parallel move, the Belgian Security and Defence Industry Association and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers entered into an institutional arrangement, with several defence and industrial collaborations finalised between the two sides.
India also announced the appointment of a defence attaché to Brussels, complementing Belgium's earlier placement of a defence attaché in New Delhi this year. 'We will see significant progress in defence engagement, including in defence production between the two countries — leveraging Belgian technology together with India's skill and scale,' George said.
Security, Counterterrorism, and Diplomacy
On broader security cooperation, the two sides concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Belgian Federal Police on cooperation against transnational organised crime and cybercrime. A separate MoU on diplomatic training was also signed between the foreign service institutes of the two countries.
Belgium condemned the terrorist attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025. Both leaders reaffirmed that terrorism in any form could never be justified and called for perpetrators to be held accountable under international law.
UN Security Council and Shared Values
Belgium formally reaffirmed its support for India's candidature for permanent membership of a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The two leaders also underscored the partnership's foundations in shared democratic values, mutual trust, economic complementarities, and strong people-to-people ties.
What Comes Next
With the India-EU FTA concluded and defence institutional frameworks now in place, the focus shifts to implementation — particularly on defence co-production and the operationalisation of the new CBI-Belgian Federal Police MoU. The appointment of a defence attaché in Brussels signals that India is deepening its institutional footprint in Europe at a time when the India-EU strategic partnership is gaining structural depth.
Point of View
A CBI-Belgian Federal Police MoU, and mutual industry arrangements — suggest India is converting the post-FTA India-EU goodwill into hard institutional architecture. Belgium is a small but strategically positioned EU member, home to NATO headquarters and the EU's own institutions in Brussels, which gives its endorsement of India's UNSC bid an outsized diplomatic signal. What mainstream coverage underplays is the cybercrime MoU: as transnational digital crime increasingly intersects with state-linked actors, a formal CBI-Belgian Federal Police channel could prove more consequential than the headline defence pacts. The real test will be how quickly these frameworks move from signed documents to operational cooperation.
NationPress
3 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Belgian PM Bart De Wever visit India in September 2025?
De Wever visited India from 2 to 4 September 2025 for an official bilateral visit, holding talks with PM Narendra Modi to advance defence cooperation, security ties, and the broader India-EU relationship. The visit followed the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue in Brussels in July 2025.
What agreements were signed during the Belgium PM's India visit?
The two sides signed a letter of intent on defence cooperation, an MoU between the CBI and Belgian Federal Police on transnational organised crime and cybercrime, and an MoU on diplomatic training between their foreign service institutes. Multiple defence-industrial collaborations were also finalised.
How does this visit connect to the India-EU Free Trade Agreement?
The visit builds on the successful conclusion of India-EU FTA negotiations in January 2025, described by MEA Secretary Sibi George as 'the mother of all deals.' Belgium, as an EU member state, is seen as a key partner in deepening the India-EU strategic partnership that the FTA has energised.
Did Belgium support India's UNSC permanent membership bid?
Yes, Belgium formally reaffirmed its support for India's candidature for permanent membership of a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during the visit.
What was said about the Pahalgam terrorist attack during the visit?
Belgium condemned the terrorist attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025. Both leaders affirmed that terrorism in any form could never be justified and called for perpetrators to be held accountable under international law.
