The first Tech Business Forum was hosted by India and the European Union in the country’s capital on Thursday. This was a crucial step in strengthening digital and trade relations as part of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC).
According to an official statement by the European Union, the forum gathered together companies, decision-makers, researchers, think tanks, and civil society, building on the Comprehensive Strategic Agenda Towards 2030, which was agreed upon by EU and Indian leaders earlier this year.
The event aimed to promote joint innovation and growth as well as strengthen private sector collaboration.
According to the statement, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the EU Delegation to India and Bhutan put together the Forum. It received backing from major industry players like the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and the Federation of European Business in India (FEBI).
The Team Europe initiative included Herve Delphin, the EU ambassador, as well as representatives from Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as ambassadors from Lithuania, Diana Mickeviciene, and Sweden, Jan Thesleff.
More than 100 Indian and European technology companies engaged in debates on cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, data governance, digital public infrastructure, and semiconductors, with an emphasis on improving private sector collaboration.
To foster fresh business possibilities in both areas, participants looked into methods to increase interoperability, collaborate on standards, and make it easier to access markets.
The forum also highlighted the significance of co-creation throughout industry, research, and innovation ecosystems, ‘marking the start of a more action-driven phase of TTC cooperation,’ the statement read.
It underlined that the Forum also acts as a means of putting into effect both the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, which was just negotiated, and the Administrative Arrangement on Advanced Electronic Signatures and Seals, which was signed under TTC in January 2026, thereby facilitating business-to-business cooperation between the two economic behemoths.
In addition, the freshly opened European Legal Gateway Office in India is a pilot project designed to help Indian ICT professionals, students, and researchers move to the EU and meet the EU Digital Decade aim of 20 million ICT specialists by 2030.
According to the statement, the cornerstone of the alliance is a shared dedication to utilizing digital technologies to foster competitiveness, guarantee dependable administration, and create robust value chains.
India’s rapidly growing digital economy, defined by its extensive digital public infrastructure, dynamic innovation ecosystem, and ambitious national initiatives in semiconductors, telecoms, and AI, places it as a strategic partner for the EU.
Both regions, it continued, are well-positioned to work together to develop global digital standards and frameworks, making sure that technological progress is inclusive, safe, and advantageous for everyone.
Herve Delphin, EU Ambassador to India, spoke at the occasion and stressed the significance of the EU-India Technology relationship: Working with reputable allies like India is necessary in today’s fractured globe to diversify supply chains and lessen excessive dependence on particular regions and sources.
India provides scale, talent, and dynamic technological applications, while Europe brings strengths in innovation, regulation, and sophisticated technology. We share common principles regarding data privacy and human-centered technology.
Using the full potential of the FTA, the Trade and Technology Council demonstrates our shared resolve to collaborate our ecosystems and exploit our complementarities. Businesses, researchers, and investors are crucial in putting policies into practice.
The first forum of its sort showed that stakeholders on both sides acknowledge the enormous potential of EU-India tech cooperation, which collectively accounts for a quarter of the world’s GDP and a quarter of the world’s demographics.
In the opening session, S. Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, expressed his opinions: “India and the EU have a common ground when discussing confidence in partnerships, not just as allies but also as designers of a future in which technology helps humanity, not the other way around. ” This is a mutual obligation rather than just shared values. Our collaboration is vital and may have a real global impact in a world where resilience is contingent on diversified supply networks.
Sibi George, Secretary (West) of the Ministry of External Affairs, supported this hope in his closing comments by saying: The India-EU collaboration is distinguished by its predictability, trustworthiness, and strategic depth in this dynamic environment.
The statement stressed that the forum’s results would support the development of the next stages of digital and trade cooperation between India and the EU, keeping business and innovation at the heart of the relationship.