External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot on Wednesday, 15 July 2025 co-chaired the inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue in Brussels, reviewing the full breadth of bilateral ties and zeroing in on high-priority sectors including ports, maritime, semiconductors, and supply chain de-risking. The dialogue marks a formal elevation of India-Belgium engagement at a time when New Delhi is deepening its strategic footprint across Europe.

Key Areas of Discussion

The two ministers reviewed cooperation spanning political, economic, investment, clean energy, defence, mobility, and pharmaceutical domains. A particular focus emerged around economic resilience — specifically, opportunities in port infrastructure, maritime connectivity, and semiconductor supply chains, sectors where both countries see mutual strategic interest.

Jaishankar also flagged the structural vulnerabilities in the global economy, including overdependence on concentrated production sources, restricted market access, and logistics fragility. 'What we do to stabilise and to de-risk and to diversify, I think is today really the central issue in world diplomacy,' he said at the meeting's opening.

India-EU Ties as the Broader Frame

Jaishankar framed the bilateral engagement firmly within India's evolving relationship with the European Union (EU), describing Belgium as 'the core of the European Union.' He noted that the India-EU relationship is 'acquiring a strategic character,' anchored by the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, a security and defence partnership, a security of information agreement under negotiation, a mobility framework, and participation in the Trade and Technology Council.

'The FTA itself, we explain to our own people, is something much bigger than just a trade agreement,' Jaishankar said, adding that engagement with major EU initiatives such as the Global Gateway and Horizon Europe is actively being pursued.

Meetings with European Commissioners

On the sidelines of the dialogue, Jaishankar held separate meetings with two senior European Commission officials. He met Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, to discuss research collaboration in clean and green energy technologies, innovation hubs, startups, and India's potential association with Horizon Europe.

Zaharieva welcomed the engagement: 'When Europe and India innovate together, we don't just develop new technologies — we shape the future. By bringing India closer to Horizon Europe and connecting nearly half a million startups, we are building a partnership designed to turn shared ambition into global impact,' she said.

Jaishankar also met Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, with discussions centred on connectivity, trilateral partnerships, IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor), and green shipping.

Global Developments and West Asia

The two foreign ministers also exchanged perspectives on global developments, with West Asia featuring prominently. Jaishankar noted that regional tensions — particularly in the Gulf — are generating cascading impacts on logistics and global supply chains, reinforcing the urgency of de-risking strategies. This comes amid ongoing instability in the region that has already disrupted shipping routes and raised freight costs globally.

What Comes Next

Jaishankar indicated that the process of deepening India-Belgium and India-EU engagement is already in an advanced stage, with timelines being accelerated. 'Our discussions, in fact, is how do we speed it up,' he said, noting that earlier projections had targeted year-end readiness. The inaugural Strategic Dialogue is expected to serve as a template for structured annual engagement, with sectoral working groups likely to follow.