India’s traditional approach to Europe has prioritized major powers like France, Germany, and the UK. However, shifting global dynamics—driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and intensifying US-China rivalry—are prompting New Delhi to broaden its European engagement. Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the Visegrad Four (Poland, Hungary, Czechia, and Slovakia), is emerging as a critical geopolitical and economic space that India can no longer afford to overlook.
As V4 countries seek to diversify their international partnerships beyond the EU and NATO, their growing interest in the Indo-Pacific aligns with India’s efforts to develop a more pan-European foreign policy. This study takes stock of India–Visegrad relations, highlights emerging areas of mutual interest, and identifies key challenges to deeper engagement.
Executive summary
- The Visegrad Four (V4) is gaining strategic weight in India’s European calculus. Traditionally focused on Western Europe, India is now expanding its diplomacy to Central Europe. The V4—Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia—has emerged as an industrial and geoeconomic hub with strong alignment opportunities in manufacturing, innovation, and defense.
- Geopolitical shifts demand deeper India–V4 engagement. The war in Ukraine, energy insecurity, and intensified great-power competition are compelling both India and the V4 to diversify strategic partnerships. India’s push for multipolarity and regional resilience resonates with the V4 debates on EU autonomy and security architecture.
- Poland and Czechia are leading bilateral partners for India in the V4. India–Poland ties were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2024 visit, with a focus on strong cooperation in defense, logistics, and migration. Czechia shares mutual interest in innovation and digital governance with India, supported by robust trade and institutional linkages.
- Hungary and Slovakia lag behind, despite growing potential. Hungary benefits from Indian foreign direct investment (FDI) and shares a multi-alignment foreign policy outlook, but relations lack strategic depth. Slovakia’s economic complementarities remain underutilized, despite symbolic gestures like the 2025 Indian presidential visit. India must bridge these gaps to treat the V4 as a cohesive bloc.
- Economic complementarities align with India’s manufacturing and de-risking agendas. V4 economies are deeply embedded in high-end manufacturing and EU value chains. India seeks technology transfers and EU market access through sectors such as automotive, industrial machinery, clean tech, and digital infrastructure. Nevertheless, lack of bilateral investment treaties with the V4 countries is a serious roadblock for unlocking the mutual investment potential.
- Supply chain resilience and digital sovereignty are key convergences. Both India and the V4 countries are de-risking their supply chains from China and prioritizing secure, trusted supply chains. Digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and regulatory cooperation offer fertile ground for innovation-led engagement.
- Energy transition offers a politically neutral, high-value collaboration domain. India’s expertise in solar, batteries, and green hydrogen complements the V4’s EU-backed decarbonization efforts. Joint projects under India’s ISA and EU’s Global Gateway can create a sustainable tech corridor.
- Mini-lateral V4+India format remains underdeveloped but has clear potential. While bilateralism dominates economic ties, the V4+India dialogue could serve as a platform for political coordination, modeled on existing V4+Japan and V4+South Korea formats. Institutionalization remains the next frontier.
- Public perception is a critical bottleneck. Opinion polls indicate limited awareness and ambivalence toward India among the V4 publics, especially among the youth. Poland is an exception, with relatively positive views. Targeted public diplomacy and people-to-people connections are crucial to fostering societal support.
- Educational and cultural exchanges remain underleveraged. Despite nascent efforts, such as the Visegrad Student Virtual Summit, institutional partnerships, student mobility, and joint research remain underdeveloped. Expanding these under IVF or Erasmus+ would create long-term constituencies for India–V4 cooperation.
- Institutional mechanisms must now match political momentum. A formal V4+India Dialogue, regular 1.5 Track meetings, and sectoral cooperation platforms — focused on green technology, digital governance, defense, and education — are necessary to structure the relationship and deliver tangible outcomes.
- Multilateral coordination is an emerging frontier. India and key V4 members, such as Poland and Czechia, can collaborate on global issues including technology norms, democratic governance, and Indo-Pacific security through the G20, ASEM, and EU–India platforms.
