India-Germany sign pacts to strengthen ties across defence, tech, energy

India and Germany signed multiple agreements during Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit, covering defence, semiconductors, critical minerals, green energy and mobility

India and Germany on Monday signed a slew of agreements spanning sectors such as defence, technology, health, energy and human resources.

 

The developments come as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is on a two-day official visit to India. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides concluded 19 agreements and made several policy announcements aimed at deepening cooperation across strategic, economic and people-to-people domains.

 

Among the key agreements was a Joint Declaration of Intent on strengthening bilateral defence industrial cooperation. "This will provide clear policy support to our companies for co-innovation and co-production in defence. New opportunities for cooperation will also open up in the space sector,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the India-Germany CEOs Forum on Monday. 

 

 

The two countries also agreed to enhance economic ties through establishing a CEO Forum integrated into the Joint India-Germany Economic and Investment Committee.

 

In the area of critical and emerging technologies, India and Germany signed multiple declarations of intent covering a semiconductor ecosystem partnership, cooperation on critical minerals, and collaboration in telecommunications.

 

Energy and sustainability featured prominently in the outcomes. An offtake agreement was signed between India’s AM Green and Germany’s Uniper Global Commodities for green ammonia. In addition, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also inked between India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board and the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water Industries (DVGW) in the field of renewable energy.

 

India and Germany also rolled out a roadmap on higher education was adopted, alongside agreements on skilling and mobility, including the establishment of a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Renewable Energy at the National Skill Training Institute in Hyderabad.

 

Germany also declared visa-free transit for Indian passport holders transiting through the country. The two sides also agreed to establish a Track 1.5 Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue and a bilateral dialogue mechanism on the Indo-Pacific.

 

Germany committed a new funding of 1.24 billion euros under the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP) for projects in renewable energy, green hydrogen, the PM e-Bus Sewa programme and climate-resilient urban infrastructure. Germany had earlier committed 10 billion euros under the programme until 2030, largely in the form of concessional loans. Of this, around 5 billion euros have already been utilised or earmarked for projects since 2022, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

 

A battery storage working group was also launched under the India-Germany Platform for Investments in Renewable Energy Worldwide.

 

Other agreements include:

• Joint Declaration of Intent for Joint Cooperation in Research and Development on Bioeconomy
• Joint Declaration of Intent on the extension of tenure of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC)
• Joint Declaration of Intent on the Framework Conditions of Global Skill Partnerships for Fair, Ethical and Sustainable Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals
• Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in Sport
• Letter of Intent between the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, and Deutsche Post AG
• Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Hockey Development between Hockey India and German Hockey Federation (Deutscher Hockey-Bund e.V.)