India and Poland Aim to Double Trade by 2030 and Push for an Early India-EU Trade Deal
The Prime Minister of Poland made an official visit to India from 21 to 23 October 2026. It was the first visit by a Polish Prime Minister to India in 16 years.
After talks in New Delhi on 22 October, the two countries issued a joint statement. They set a goal of doubling bilateral trade (trade between the two countries) by 2030. Trade today is a little over US$6 billion a year.
Both sides called for the early signing, ratification (formal approval by each side) and implementation of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Talks on this deal were concluded in January 2026.
They discussed strategic connectivity: more direct flights between the two countries, cooperation between ports, maritime security (safety of sea routes), and better links through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
Other areas named for cooperation include defence, space, artificial intelligence, semiconductors (computer chips), quantum technology, critical minerals, battery recycling and rare earth refining. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on critical minerals is still being negotiated.
Poland announced that it will join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), a global group started by India. Nearly 100 Polish companies came with the visiting delegation, the largest such business group in the history of the relationship.
India-Poland Relations: From the Good Maharaja to Strategic Partnership
India and Poland set up formal diplomatic relations in 1954. Their friendship has a special emotional story from the Second World War, when an Indian ruler sheltered Polish refugee children. In August 2024, the two countries raised their ties to a Strategic Partnership, which means they agreed to work closely on long-term goals like defence, trade and technology. Poland is now India's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe.
The October 2026 visit built on the 2024 Strategic Partnership. The new target of doubling trade by 2030 is meant to grow the relationship, and Poland also hopes it can reduce its trade deficit with India by selling more machinery, minerals and technology.
Free Trade Agreements: Concept and WTO Framework
A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a deal between two or more countries to remove or sharply cut the import taxes (tariffs) on most goods they trade with each other. Each country still keeps its own tariffs for countries outside the deal. Modern FTAs also cover services, investment, digital trade and common rules. The India-EU FTA is one of the biggest such deals India has ever negotiated, because the European Union (EU) negotiates trade as one bloc for all its 27 member countries, including Poland.
Because Poland is an EU member, the fastest way to grow India-Poland trade is through the India-EU FTA. That is why both leaders asked for the deal to be signed, ratified and put into effect quickly. Poland wants to be "India's gateway to Europe" once the FTA cuts tariffs.
India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC, is a planned trade route that connects India to Europe through the Arabian Peninsula. Goods will go by ship from Indian ports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), then by train across Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel, and then by ship again across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. It is meant to be faster and more reliable than the present sea route through the Suez Canal, and it is often seen as an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
India and Poland said they want better connectivity, including through IMEC, along with cooperation between ports, maritime security and more direct flights. A working IMEC would cut transit time for goods between India and Central Europe and make supply chains less exposed to disruptions in any one sea route.
- Polish Prime Minister's visit to India: 21 to 23 October 2026; talks held on 22 October 2026
- First visit by a Polish Prime Minister to India in 16 years
- Target: double India-Poland bilateral trade by 2030; current trade just over US$6 billion
- India-Poland Strategic Partnership: August 2024; Action Plan 2024 to 2028
- India-Poland diplomatic relations: 1954
- India-EU FTA: talks began 2007, stalled 2013, relaunched 17 June 2022, concluded 27 January 2026
- EU trade liberalisation coverage under the FTA: 96.6% for India, 99.3% for the EU (European Commission)
- IMEC: announced 9 September 2023 at the G20 New Delhi Summit; MoU signed by India, US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, EU, France, Germany, Italy
- Poland announced it will join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
- Indians in Poland: about 25,500 workers, the third-largest group of foreign workers