Chips, defence, clean energy: India, Netherlands elevate ties to strategic partnership level

India and the Netherlands on Saturday agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership following wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in The Hague.

The decision came during Modi’s two-day visit to the Netherlands as part of his wider Europe tour aimed at boosting India’s strategic, economic and technological engagement with key European partners.

The two leaders reviewed cooperation in areas including trade, defence, technology, water management, clean energy, healthcare and education, while several agreements were signed to deepen collaboration in priority sectors.

Modi said India-Netherlands relations had seen “significant progress” over the past decade and described the Netherlands as one of India’s key partners in Europe.

He said the partnership was built on shared democratic values, economic cooperation and strong people-to-people ties.

“Democratic values, market economy and responsible behavior are part of our common approach,” Modi said, highlighting cooperation in sectors such as water management, healthcare and education.

Calling for deeper collaboration in emerging areas, Modi said Dutch expertise and India’s “speed and skill” could together drive growth in innovation, sustainability, investment and defence.

“We need to take our cooperation in areas of innovation, investment, sustainability and defence to new heights,” he said while announcing the elevation of ties to a strategic partnership.

Jetten also underlined the growing importance of ties with India and backed stronger cooperation across economic and strategic sectors.

Ahead of the bilateral talks, Modi and Jetten jointly attended an India-Netherlands CEO Roundtable in The Hague involving leading Dutch companies from sectors including energy, ports, agriculture, healthcare and technology.

During the interaction, Modi invited Dutch firms to expand investments in India, particularly in renewable energy, semiconductors, maritime infrastructure, digital technology, artificial intelligence and healthcare.

The Prime Minister highlighted India’s rapid economic growth and reform-driven business climate, saying major changes in taxation, labour regulations and governance had improved ease of doing business.

“Today’s India is a symbol of scale and stability,” Modi said, adding that India had emerged as the world’s fastest-growing major economy with one of the largest talent pools globally.

Modi invites Dutch firms to ‘design and innovate in India’

Addressing business leaders at the CEO Roundtable, Modi urged Dutch companies to strengthen their manufacturing, technology and innovation footprint in India.

“We invite all of you to design and innovate in India. There can be no better time for this than today,” he said.

He said India had opened sectors such as space, mining and nuclear energy to private investment while continuing to reduce compliance burdens and improve the business environment.

“We are continuously reducing compliance burdens and enhancing the Ease of Doing Business. Recently, we implemented next-generation reforms in taxation, labour codes and governance,” Modi said.

During the visit, Modi and Jetten also witnessed the signing of an agreement between Tata Electronics and ASML to support India’s first front-end semiconductor fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat.

The two leaders also backed early implementation of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement and announced plans to deepen cooperation in green hydrogen, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and technology.