Addressing a joint press statement after his meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, Modi said the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement concluded earlier this year had opened new possibilities for strengthening economic relations between the two countries.
“Earlier this year, we concluded a historic Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union. This unprecedented cooperation between two of the world's largest democratic powers will further strengthen global stability, growth, and shared prosperity,” Modi said.
He said India and Belgium had taken several steps to convert the new economic opportunities into concrete outcomes, including the establishment of an Investment Fast-Track Mechanism in India for Belgian companies.
“We have decided to make the India-Belgium Business Forum a regular mechanism. We will enhance synergy between the financial, fintech, and regulatory institutions of both nations, and through these measures, we will realise the goal of doubling bilateral trade over the next five years,” he said.
Defence and security cooperation also emerged as a key area of the bilateral relationship. Modi said India and Belgium had agreed to enhance military exchanges and training cooperation, while agreements between the governments and defence industries would create opportunities for defence co-development and co-production.
“Defence and security cooperation is a key pillar of our relationship. Today, we have agreed to enhance military exchanges and training cooperation between the two countries,” he said.
The Prime Minister also said the two countries would strengthen intelligence sharing and cooperation against crime between their respective agencies.
On clean energy and critical minerals, Modi said India and Belgium shared the priority of building a clean energy future and reliable supply chains.
“The MoU on renewable energy signed today will give new momentum to our cooperation on sustainability. We have decided to enhance cooperation in the processing and recycling of critical minerals,” he said.
Modi also highlighted the potential for cooperation in the semiconductor sector, saying Belgium’s expertise and India’s scale could complement each other. The two sides would work towards integrating Belgium’s IMEC Institute with India’s semiconductor ecosystem.
On people-to-people ties, Modi said India and Belgium had agreed to strengthen cooperation between startups and enhance capacity building in the maritime sector.
“We will also reinforce cooperation in the university and research sectors, and we will soon sign a Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement to facilitate the movement of talent,” Modi said.
The remarks came as Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever began a three-day official visit to India.
De Wever, who took office in February 2025, is visiting India for the first time as Belgian Prime Minister. His visit also marks the first visit by a Belgian Prime Minister to India in two decades.
He is accompanied by Belgium’s Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade, Theo Francken, along with a high-level delegation of officials and business leaders, including representatives from the Belgian defence industry.
The agreements and initiatives discussed during the visit place trade expansion alongside defence, clean energy, critical minerals, semiconductors, research, startups and mobility as key areas of India-Belgium cooperation.
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