​• President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied by the European Union College of Commissioners, will pay an official visit to India from February 27 to 28.

​• This will be Ursula von der Leyen’s third visit to India. She has earlier visited India for a bilateral official visit in April 2022, and to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ursula von der Leyen have also met regularly on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.

​• This will be the first ever visit of the EU College of Commissioners together to India and among the first such visits since the start of the mandate of the current European Commission in December 2024 after the European parliamentary elections held in June 2024.

Significance of the visit

​• India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004 and their bilateral ties have expanded and deepened across a wide range of areas. 

​• As the two sides enter the third decade of the ‘Strategic Partnership’, the visit of President von der Leyen and the EU College of Commissioners will pave the way for further strengthening of bilateral relations based on growing convergences.

​• The EU is India’s largest trading partner, with trade in goods valued at €124 billion in 2023, with an increase of almost 90 per cent in the last decade.

​• Around 6,000 European companies are present in India, directly providing 1.7 million jobs and indirectly supporting five million jobs across various sectors. 

​• The EU and India resumed negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement in 2022 following the visit of President von der Leyen to New Delhi. The next round is scheduled on March 10-14 in Brussels.

• During the visit, PM Modi will hold delegation level talks with Ursula von der Leyen. The second ministerial meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council and bilateral ministerial meetings between the European Commissioners and their Indian counterparts will also be held during the visit.

European Union’s Seven Institutions

• The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 countries. It operates an internal (or single) market which allows free movement of goods, capital, services and people between member states.

• The European Union’s institutional setup is unique and its decision-making system is constantly evolving. 

• The powers, responsibilities and procedures of the EU’s institutions are laid down in the founding treaties of the EU: the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (1957) and the Treaty on European Union (1992). More recently, the Lisbon Treaty (2007) introduced certain amendments and additions to their competencies.

• There are four main decision-making institutions which lead the EU’s administration. 

• These institutions collectively provide the EU with policy direction and play different roles in the law-making process. 

They are:

i) The European Parliament 

ii) The European Council

iii) The Council of the European Union

iv) The European Commission.

Their work is complemented by other institutions and bodies, which include:

v) The Court of Justice of the European Union

vi) The European Central Bank

vii) The European Court of Auditors.

European Commission

The European Commission is the executive branch of the EU.

It: 

i) Proposes new EU laws and ensures that EU laws are correctly applied across Member States.

ii) Develops policies, manages EU budget spending.

iii) Speaks on behalf of the EU on the global stage, for instance in areas of trade policy, economic issues or climate policy, and negotiates international agreements for the EU.

iv) Is a guardian of Treaties, ensuring Member States comply with EU Treaties and laws.

How is the Commission appointed?

• Every five years, the European Council — made up of EU heads of state and government — proposes a Commission presidential candidate to the European Parliament. If an absolute majority of members of Parliament support the nominee, he or she is elected.

• This candidate for president is proposed based on the political makeup of the parliament following European Parliament elections; typically, they will be chosen from the largest political family in the Parliament.

• The Commission is a team of 27 Commissioners (one from each EU country) – led by the Commission President, who decides who is responsible for which policy area.

• The president-elect selects potential Vice-Presidents and Commissioners based on suggestions from EU countries.

• Once the 27 nominees have been endorsed, the European Parliament as a whole votes whether or not to approve the entire team. Following Parliament’s vote, the Commissioners are appointed by the European Council.

• The 27 members of the College are appointed as the Commission’s political leadership for a 5-year term. The President of the Commission assigns responsibilities for specific policy areas to each Commissioner.

• All Commissioners are equal in the decision-making process, and held equally accountable for these decisions.

• The European Commission is held democratically accountable by the European Parliament, which has the right to approve and dismiss the entire political leadership of the Commission.

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