Overview
- Germany and India signed 19 memoranda of intent and announced eight further initiatives spanning technology, supply chains and skilled migration pathways.
- Both governments outlined closer security cooperation, including planned joint Air Force and Navy exercises in the Indo-Pacific and deeper defense‑industry links.
- A TKMS program for six submarines to be built in Mumbai, valued at about €8 billion, remains under negotiation, with signing described in reports as expected soon.
- Merz expressed confidence that an EU–India free‑trade agreement could be concluded at a late‑January summit following the EU’s Mercosur approval.
- Leaders acknowledged India’s continued reliance on Russian energy even as Berlin promotes cooperation in AI, hydrogen, batteries and critical minerals, with bilateral trade around $50 billion at a record high.