EU–India Young Leaders Exchange Programme 2025–26: Selected Cohort Announced

EU-India Young Leaders Exchange Programme 2025-26: Selected Cohort Announced

The Delegation of the European Union to India is pleased to announce the selection of 20 young leaders from the European Union and India for the EU-India Young Leaders Exchange Programme 2025-26. The EU-India Young Leaders Exchange Programme aims to foster people-to-people connections and youth-led policy engagement by bringing together emerging leaders to reflect on key dimensions of the EU-India partnership.

The Delegation of the European Union to India is pleased to announce the selection of 20 young leaders from the European Union and India for the EU-India Young Leaders Exchange Programme 2025-26.

The selected cohort was chosen through a highly competitive and rigorous selection process. Over three hundred applications were received from across the EU and India. The final group reflects a strong diversity of professional backgrounds, academic disciplines, and geographic representation, united by a shared interest in strengthening EU-India relations and contributing to policy dialogue.

The EU-India Young Leaders Exchange Programme aims to foster people-to-people connections and youth-led policy engagement by bringing together emerging leaders to reflect on key dimensions of the EU-India partnership. Over the coming months, Young Leaders will engage in a series of structured online Policy Labs and moderated exchanges, addressing priority themes such as Climate Action and the Green Transition, Geopolitics and Global Governance, Democracy in the Digital Age, Inclusive Growth, and Social Equity.

The programme is designed as a working policy exchange, encouraging active participation, open debate, and co-creation. Young Leaders will be invited to develop practical, youth-driven reflections and recommendations, contributing fresh perspectives to ongoing EU-India cooperation.

This initiative reflects the European Union's continued investment in youth engagement and people-to-people exchanges as a cornerstone of the EU-India Strategic Partnership.

Selected candidates:

1. Sanyam Bajaj
2. Mathilde Berric
3. Hritik Bhasin
4. Mathias Charles
5. Rishita Chaudhary
6. Devyani
7. Daniel Lidón García
8. Salew P Kadena
9. Nidhin Davis Karathra
10. Luca Myska
11. Amadej Petan
12. Wamika Sachdev
13. Aahil Sheikh
14. Imme Chantal Richard Smits
15. Ananya Srivastava
16. Ioana Raluca Srivastava
17. Urmi Tat
18. Roman Verhaelen
19. Luisa von Richthofen
20. Verena Franziska Zimmer