Belgian PM De Wever arrives for talks on the India-EU trade deal, diamonds and defence

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrives in India on Wednesday, 2 September, for a three-day official visit at Narendra Modi's invitation. Defence Minister Theo Francken is travelling with him. The two leaders meet on 3 September in New Delhi. De Wever then addresses a Confederation of Indian Industry event built around the stalled India-European Union free trade agreement before flying to Mumbai for sessions with the diamond trade and with port and logistics firms.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the talks will cover the full range of bilateral work: trade and investment, defence and security, technology, renewable energy, connectivity and people-to-people ties. It also framed the visit as a way to thicken India's channel into the European Union. Last month External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot reviewed the same list in Brussels, including pharmaceuticals and mobility.

This is De Wever's first visit to India since he took office in February 2025. Belgian reporting described the trip as a short attempt to put Belgian firms on India's growth path and to reduce reliance on China. Companies at home are watching the FTA language more closely than the ceremonial schedule.

Why Belgium sits on the FTA file

Belgium is a small member state with outsized roles in diamonds, chemicals, ports and defence procurement. Antwerp still clears a large share of the world's rough stones. Mumbai is the cutting and trading counterpart. A prime ministerial stop in both capitals is a message to that corridor, not a tourist add-on.

The India-EU FTA has been under negotiation for years. De Wever's CII speech is where he can say whether Belgium will push the file in Brussels or hide behind larger members. Francken's presence puts defence equipment and security cooperation on the same plane as stones and containers. India is shopping for European kit while it expands domestic production. Belgium can sell niches. It cannot replace France or Germany. The visit's value is as a vote inside the EU, not as a standalone arms package.

What Thursday has to produce

Modi and De Wever will be judged on whether they name a next date for FTA chapters, a defence working group, or a mobility number. Joint statements that only list "renewable energy" and "connectivity" will read as a missed use of three days. Mumbai's diamond and port meetings are easier to measure. If traders leave with a customs or logistics commitment, the trip has a commercial residue. If they leave with photographs, it does not.

De Wever also faces budget fights at home. That domestic pressure is why Belgian papers billed the India tour as a search for growth partners. India can use a northern European prime minister who will argue for the FTA. Belgium can use an Indian market that is already buying diamonds and wants more defence and green-tech suppliers. Those two interests overlap for three days. After 4 September they have to survive the EU's calendar.