EUROPE DAY ADDRESS by H.E. Hervé DELPHIN, Ambassador of the European Union to India, Delhi 8 May 2026 Dear

EUROPE DAY ADDRESS by H.E. Hervé DELPHIN, Ambassador of the European Union to India, Delhi 8 May 2026 Dear

Dear Honourable Chief Guest, Her Excellency Srimati Dr. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs,
Dear Ambassadors, High Commissioners, and members of Dear Honourable Chief Guest, Her Excellency Srimati Dr. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finances and Corporate Affairs,
Dear Ambassadors, High Commissioners, and members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to India,
Dear Representatives from the Government of India, its ministries and army services,
Dear Representatives of other Indian institutions and International Organisations,
Dear Representatives of Civil society organisations and of the European and Indian business community,

Namaskar,

It is a great honour and immense pleasure - for me as well as for my fellow colleagues, ambassadors of EU Member States present here - to welcoming you tonight, at our Europe's Day reception.

A year ago, this moment of celebration of the EU and EU-India friendship, was overshadowed by the heinous terrorist attack of Pahalgam that took the lives of innocent victims and that led to the 4-days war and Operation Sindoor. We paid tribute to them with a minute of silence at our reception.

This year, unfortunately, wars and conflicts continue to rage on in different parts of the world, with a direct impact on our security, on our economies and the well-being of our citizens.

Dear Minister, dear Guests, as Prime Minister Modi said it, "today's era should not be an era of war".
Wars cause immense human suffering, massive economic losses. Ultimately, aggressors end up paying the higher price. Russia is not winning but losing the war of aggression it deliberately launched. We will continue to stand with Ukraine and in support of a just and lasting peace.
This message of 'not an era of war' deeply resonates with Europe's values and identity. The EU is fundamentally a peace project, turning the back on centuries of continental wars. On 9 May 1950, Maurice Schuman, the French Minister for foreign affairs, pronounced what became known as the Schuman Declaration and the foundational act of the European Union.

India and Europe are on the same page of history, as the two world's largest democracies, representing a quarter of world's demography, a quarter of world's economy.
We are both shaped by the central idea of Unity in Diversity/ Vividhta Mein Ekta (विविधता में एकता). We both cherish our cultural heritage and traditions, our shared values putting people at the centre. We also stand our ground when under threat.

Fundamentally we are global forces for good. We are both recognised as trusted, reliable partners working for global stability and prosperity promoting global cooperation and solutions.

That India and the EU and its Member States are deepening their ties like never before, IS TRULY a reason for celebration this year.
This is the Europe-India moment.

The presence of the EU Presidents as Chief Guests at Republic's Day back-to-back with the EU-India Summit was a moment where symbolism, substance and strategic significance came together, resulting in momentous outcomes.
- The comprehensive joint Strategic Agenda for next 5 years,
- The conclusion of our FTA negotiations, the 'mother of all deals' ,
- The signing of a Security and Defence Partnership,
- The comprehensive framework on Cooperation on Mobility,
To name only but a few.

We have placed our relationship to a totally new level, in qualitative and strategic terms.EU aur Bharat ki dosti asimit, mahatvakankshi aur pragatisheel hai. The EU India partnership is: limitless, ambitious and progressive!

These achievements would not have been possible without the political conviction and trust shared by our Leaders.
These achievements would have been possible without the full mobilisation and engagement at executive level following last year's unprecedented meeting between the EU College of Commissioners and the Cabinet of Union Ministers.

I would like to extend our sincere thanks to you, dear Minister Sitharaman, for your support and contribution to this collective success.

This would not have been possible without the involvement of the business communities in the EU and in India. Our first EU-India Business Forum in the margins of the January Summit as well as the active role played by our Federations /confederations of Business (notably FEBI and our Member States national Chambers of Commerce, CII and FICCI) are instrumental in ensuring that our policies will deliver tangible benefits across the board.
- In Clean energy and clean tech,
- In Digital and AI,
- In agro-food and bio-tech,
- In Space and Security and Defence,
- In advanced manufacturing

We contribute and will contribute even further to each other's growth story. Yesterday we released a report on "the EU business economic footprint in India". It is already significant: About 6.000 EU companies, generating the creation of close to 6 million jobs, exporting close to € 25 billion from India to the world (6% of India's total exports).

We are already India's leading trading partner. With the FTA in place, we expect our two-way trade to double in value in the next years. More investments, more jobs !

With two cultures sharing a passion for food, the FTA together with the agreement on Geographic Indications we expect to conclude, will also allow both Indian and European people to have access to top quality food products. I invite everyone to have a foretaste of such European products at the European Food village- courtesy of the missions of the EU Member states.

I would also like to express our sincere thanks to our partners tonight, which contributed to making this event possible, Airbus, BMW, Carlsberg, Deutsche Bank, the European Investment Bank, Inlamobi, Mercedes, Nürnberg Messe and Schneider Electric.

Dear Minister, Dear Guests,
We have prepared a special feature in our reception's programme tonight.

A celebration of the interlacing of our cultures over past centuries, of the uninterrupted commerce of goods, ideas, movement of people. Of what binds us.

This is to put into historical and cultural perspective all what we are seeking to build and develop together in this second quarter of the 21st century.

I hope you will not only enjoy but connect as well with this message.

Dhanyavaad

Thank you for your attention.
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