The European Union is vying for a larger role in Indo-Pacific security with the US on the back foot in the Eastern Hemisphere.
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US → vie → Hemisphere
Meanwhile, India is looking for new allies.
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India → look → allies
Its rising economy and increasingly global ambitions have pushed it into new forums and partnerships, including ever closer defense ties with the European bloc.
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economy → rise → bloc
In January this year, India and the EU signed a Security and Defense Partnership, followed by their first formal Security and Defense Dialogue in March.
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India → sign → March
More meetings followed throughout the year, including the fifth Maritime Security Dialogue in Brussels last month.
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meetings → follow → Brussels
However, while both sides want to boost cooperation on maritime security, working together in the Indo-Pacific remains a challenge — India and European countries simply have different defense priorities.
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India → want → priorities
"Europe can be a credible defense partner of India, especially in the maritime theater in general and Indo-Pacific in particular," Mohan Kumar, a former Indian ambassador to France, told DW.
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Kumar → tell → DW
But Europe's capacity to expand its role is constrained by other security crises.
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capacity → expand → crises
"European distractions such as the conflict in Ukraine, which is of existential importance for it, do detract from this objective and can be a limiting factor," he added.
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he → detract → objective
France is a notable exception, given its established military presence in the Indian Ocean.
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France → give → Ocean
"France, with its presence in Reunion Island and Mayotte, is already cooperating with India in the Indian Ocean theater and this cooperation can be intensified," added Kumar.
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Kumar → cooperate → theater
Javed Ashraf, another Indian diplomat, said that France has been "a strong, trusted and consistent security partner across the full spectrum of defense cooperation.
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France → say → cooperation
"
"What makes the partnership easier is the acceptance that the two may not always agree or be in a position to cooperate," said Ashraf.
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Ashraf → make → position
"France also stands out for India because [France] has currently no defense cooperation with Pakistan or with China," he told DW.
EU disunited on security?
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he → stand → security
While France remains the EU's only nuclear power and maintains its strongest military force, a cooperation between Paris and New Delhi does not automatically translate into a coherent European security role across the Indo-Pacific.
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cooperation → remain → Pacific
"Europe as an entity has very little role in the Indo-Pacific security despite the announcement of a strategy in 2025," said Tara Kartha, a former member of India's National Security Council Secretariat.
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Kartha → have → Secretariat
She pointed to political differences among EU members as an obstacle to a coherent security outlook.
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She → point → outlook
Those differences were on display during the EU's October 15–16 summit in Brussels, when leaders reaffirmed support for Ukraine, but also signaled disagreements over funding and national priorities.
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leaders → reaffirm → funding
What can EU offer to India?
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EU → offer → India
This could also explain why, as India's defense ties with Europe keep expanding, much of that cooperation still takes place between New Delhi and individual European nations.
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much → explain → Delhi
Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland have all emerged as important partners.
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Germany → emerge → partners
Ashraf said Brussels could signal broader support for its member states' partnerships with India and provide access to EU-funded programs, boosting cooperation in areas such as maritime security, space, critical minerals, chips and defense technologies.
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Brussels → say → security
"India is also becoming an important source of defense supplies for a re-arming Europe," the diplomat said.
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diplomat → become → Europe
"India could also access drone technology in light of valuable experience gained by Europeans in Ukraine," Kumar said.
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Kumar → access → Ukraine
Alongside France, it has become a defense partner for India, including through major equipment purchases.
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it → become → purchases
India could push for its relationship with Berlin to include industrial partnerships and technology development.
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relationship → push → partnerships
But experts warn that closer defense ties should not be confused with a shared strategic outlook, as European countries have their own priorities.
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countries → warn → priorities
The differences between Brussels and New Delhi are particularly clear when it comes to Russia and China.
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it → come → Russia
India still relies heavily on Russian equipment and technology, even as it seeks to diversify its defense supplies.
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it → rely → supplies
European governments, meanwhile, have been engaged in a tense standoff with Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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governments → engage → Ukraine
That creates a problem for those seeking to deepen defense industry ties.
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That → create → ties
"Buying a few big-ticket defense items, such as Rafale fighter jets from France or submarines from Germany, is one thing," said Gulshan Sachdeva, a professor of European Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
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Sachdeva → buy → Delhi
"However, integrating India's defense industry into the expanding European defense value chain is more challenging as long as Russia remains Europe's principal security concern," he said.
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he → integrate → chain
China presents a different but equally important challenge.
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China → present → challenge
For India, China is a rival and source of major security issues, including an ongoing border dispute.
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China → include → dispute
While the EU also sees China as a "systemic rival," its members differ in how they balance security concerns with their economic relationships with China.
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they → see → China
These differences complicate attempts to develop a shared assessment of Indo-Pacific threats.
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differences → complicate → threats
On a geopolitical level, India wants partnerships that strengthen its capabilities without requiring it to align fully with another power's strategic priorities.
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that → want → priorities
European governments are also weighing their regional ambitions against security demands closer to home.
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governments → weigh → home
The new India-EU partnership creates a framework for closer engagement, but it does not amount to a joint security commitment.
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it → create → commitment
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
