Bart De Wever in India: Why Europeans Are Acting Alone

India is a vast market and becoming an alternative powerhouse to China. After Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Ursula von der Leyen, it is Bart De Wever’s turn to travel there. And it is one where he must succeed, and not give up lax immigration incentives to Indian students and IT workers.

For Catherine Bros, professor at the University of Tours and a specialist in the Indian economy, this European interest follows two logics: economic and geopolitical. “It is a very important market, one of the countries that is growing the fastest at the moment. And also, which presents itself as an alternative to China”. India is also seeking to establish itself as an indispensable power in a region, Asia-Pacific, whose weight continues to grow.

On the trade front, Europeans are particularly keen to gain access to a market of more than 1,4 billion inhabitants. India also buys a great deal of arms: “It is the second largest arms importer after Ukraine”. The free-trade agreement concluded between the European Union and India in January should also strengthen exchanges.

The aim is also to allow European companies to establish themselves locally. “The Indian economy is growing at about 7% a year”, says Catherine Bros. It is still a relatively narrow market because the middle class is underdeveloped, but “very dynamic” and set to become a growth driver.

Why is each European country playing its own card?

French President Emmanuel Macron in India, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and now Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever: while a trade deal has been negotiated at European Union level, why are European leaders travelling one after another to New Delhi?

The approach surprises Catherine Bros. “When we have seen a bit of the scale of the agreement that was signed by the European Union, we wonder a bit why negotiations are being conducted at the level of each country”. She puts forward a possible explanation, without drawing a conclusion: “Probably each country has its own specificities”. But she admits she finds this approach surprising.

It is true that this is rather strange given that the European Union’s firepower is infinitely greater than that of each country individually

It is a remark that also illustrates one of the challenges of this relationship with India: beyond the European trade agreement, each member state seeks to defend its own economic interests and develop its bilateral relations.

Diamonds, a privileged link with Belgium

Bart De Wever, from Antwerp, also wants to strengthen ties between Belgium’s diamond capital and India.

The Belgian delegation is due to visit the Mumbai Diamond Exchange. The trip makes perfect sense, since India is a major player in the cutting of precious stones. “It is the leading centre for cutting precious stones, notably in a city specifically called Surat, in Gujarat, which is the world centre for cutting precious stones”, Catherine Bros explains.