PM Modi’s five-nation tour to UAE and Europe begins May 15; energy security, innovation in focus
India's Prime Minister will undertake a five-nation tour from May 15 to 20, 2026, covering the UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy — a diplomatic push centred on energy security, technology partnerships, defence cooperation, and green transition amid global geopolitical uncertainty.
The UAE leg (May 15) will focus on energy supply diversification, with specific attention to bypassing the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint through increased use of Port of Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman; India and the UAE are also exploring expansion of the Fujairah oil terminal and an additional cross-peninsula pipeline.
The Netherlands visit (May 15–17) will encompass talks with the Dutch Prime Minister and meetings with the Dutch royal family; key sectors include semiconductors, defence, green hydrogen, water management, and innovation.
Sweden visit (May 17–18) will be centred on innovation, clean technology, and defence cooperation.
Norway (May 18–19) will host the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo on May 19, bringing together the Prime Ministers of all five Nordic nations — Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden — alongside India; this is the first Indian Prime Ministerial visit to Norway in 43 years.
Italy (May 19–20) concludes the tour, with discussions covering the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, clean energy, technology, defence, and the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029.
India's Energy Security Architecture
India is the world's third-largest energy consumer and third-largest oil importer, sourcing approximately 85% of its crude oil needs through imports. The Middle East — especially the Gulf states — accounts for roughly 60% of India's crude oil imports, making the Strait of Hormuz a critical chokepoint for Indian energy security. Any disruption to Hormuz passage — as evidenced during recurring tensions in the region — directly threatens India's energy supply chain and macroeconomic stability. Energy security is therefore a core foreign policy driver, shaping bilateral ties with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states as well as Norway, a major oil and gas producer.
Key Details
- India's crude oil import dependency: ~85% of domestic consumption
- Middle East share of India's crude imports: ~60%
- Strait of Hormuz: ~20% of global oil trade passes through it
- India's strategic petroleum reserves capacity: approximately 5.33 million metric tonnes (at Vishakhapatnam, Mangalore, Padur)
The Fujairah route exploration — loading more oil from the Gulf of Oman side of the UAE — directly addresses Hormuz bypass logistics; simultaneously, Norway engagement taps a non-Gulf, non-conflict-zone energy supplier.
India-Nordic Relations and the Nordic Summit
The India-Nordic Summit is a multilateral platform involving India and the five Nordic states: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The first summit was held in Stockholm in April 2018, the second in Copenhagen in May 2022. The 3rd Summit (Oslo, May 2026) is expected to elevate the relationship to a more strategic dimension, with emphasis on technology, green transition, renewable energy, blue economy, defence, space, and Arctic affairs. India's engagement with the Nordic bloc is significant given the region's strengths in offshore energy, maritime technology, and sustainability innovation.
Key Details
- 1st India-Nordic Summit: Stockholm, April 2018
- 2nd India-Nordic Summit: Copenhagen, May 2022
- 3rd India-Nordic Summit: Oslo, May 19, 2026
- Nordic countries: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland
- First Indian PM visit to Norway: after a 43-year gap
The Oslo summit signals India's intent to institutionalise engagement with the Nordic bloc beyond ad hoc bilateral visits, with the Arctic, blue economy, and green hydrogen all gaining strategic weight.
India-Netherlands Semiconductor and Technology Cooperation
The Netherlands is home to ASML — the world's sole manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, which are indispensable for fabricating advanced semiconductors. India's semiconductor mission (India Semiconductor Mission, launched under the ₹76,000 crore Production Linked Incentive scheme for semiconductors) has identified the Netherlands as a critical technology partner. An MoU on semiconductors and emerging technologies between India and the Netherlands provides the framework for collaboration. An Indian trade delegation visited Brainport Eindhoven — the Dutch semiconductor hub — in March 2026 to explore investment and supply chain integration.
Key Details
- ASML (Eindhoven, Netherlands): sole global supplier of EUV lithography machines
- India Semiconductor Mission: incentive outlay of ₹76,000 crore
- India-Netherlands MoU on semiconductors and emerging technologies: signed 2024
- Brainport Eindhoven: Netherlands' technology and chip ecosystem hub
The Netherlands visit is, in part, a technology diplomacy exercise aimed at integrating India's semiconductor ambitions with Dutch chip-ecosystem expertise, critical for reducing import dependency on chip components.
India-Italy Relations and the India-EU FTA
India and the European Union are currently negotiating a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. Italy, as a G7 member and significant EU economy, holds influence in shaping the EU's trade negotiating posture. The India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029 frames the bilateral relationship across trade, defence, clean energy, and technology. Talks on Italy's sidelines are expected to provide diplomatic momentum to the long-pending India-EU FTA.
Key Details
- India-EU FTA negotiations: resumed formally in June 2022 after a 9-year suspension
- India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan: 2025–2029
- Italy is a G7 nation and a major EU economy
Bilateral engagement with key EU member states like Italy is a standard diplomatic strategy to build consensus for advancing multilateral trade agreements.
- Five nations visited: UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy (May 15–20, 2026)
- UAE: focus on energy security, Fujairah oil terminal cooperation, Hormuz bypass logistics
- Netherlands: semiconductors, green hydrogen, defence, water management
- Norway: 3rd India-Nordic Summit; first Indian PM visit to Norway in 43 years
- Italy: India-EU FTA, Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029, defence
- India is the world's third-largest energy consumer
- Strait of Hormuz carries ~20% of global oil trade
- India's strategic petroleum reserves: ~5.33 million metric tonnes
- India-Nordic summits previously held: Stockholm (2018), Copenhagen (2022)
- ASML, headquartered in Eindhoven, is the sole supplier of EUV lithography machines globally