Issue Brief o “EU-India Security and Defence Partnership 2026: Strategic Imperatives and Pakistan’s Security...

On 27 January 2026, India and the European Union (EU) entered a new era of cooperation by signing the "Mother of all deals", a comprehensive trade agreement. Alongside this trade agreement, a significant Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) was concluded by the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr S. Jaishankar, and the European High Representative, Kaja Kallas. The partnership is a comprehensive security framework for institutionalised cooperation across traditional and non-traditional security arenas, including maritime security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, and defence industrial collaborations. This development is grounded in the shifting nature of bilateral interaction from 'episodic cooperation to strategic convergences',[1] amidst the rising geopolitical uncertainties. The SDP emerges as a quintessential expression of strategic multi-alignment in an increasingly multipolar world, building on calculated convergences rather than formal alliances. These convergences include shared security concerns in Indo-Pacific, the pursuit of strategically diversified global partnerships, and a shared commitment to uphold a rule-based order. It also illustrates New Delhi's realisation of supply chain vulnerabilities and its urge to reconfigure its strategic dependencies amid heightened geostrategic turbulence. For India, the strategic imperatives include integration into Europe's supply chains, access to advanced technology, information exchanges, and co-development opportunities.

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