Who is Ursula von der Leyen? European Commission President is the chief guest at Republic Day 2026
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be the chief guest for India's 77th Republic Day. Here's all you need to know about the German politician and physician who is set for a 4-day visit to India.
India celebrates its 77th Republic Day today, 26 January 2026. This year's parade on Kartavya Path (formerly known as Rajpath) features a rare joint invitation: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa are the chief guests. Their presence highlights the strengthening of India-US relations at a time of crucial trade negotiations. Von der Leyen and Costa are in India from 24 to 27 January.
The two leaders will co-chair the 16th India-EU summit. On 27 January, they will co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The summit will focus on the long-awaited India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Both leaders will also meet President Droupadi Murmu.
India and the EU are pushing for this trade deal despite new global tariff policies. After years of talks, both sides hope to sign an agreement soon. The European Union is currently India's largest trading partner.
Ursula von der Leyen is a German politician and doctor. She took office in 2019. Before this, she served in the German government for 14 years. One of her top roles was Federal Minister for Defence under Angela Merkel. She belongs to the centre-right Christian Democratic Union and was re-elected to lead the Commission in July 2024.
Born in Brussels, Belgium, she grew up speaking two languages. Her father was a CEO and a state politician in Germany. A skilled horse rider, she married Heiko von der Leyen in 1986.
Ursula von der Leyen calls highly anticipated FTA talks ‘mother of all deals’
On Tuesday, during an address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland's Davos, the European Commission president said that India and the European Union are on the cusp of a “historic trade agreement” that would create a market comprising two billion people. She further noted that this market would thus account for almost a quarter of the global GDP, as she called the highly anticipated talks, “the mother of all deals.”
Underlining the scale of the critical deal for India and the 27-nation EU, she said, “I will travel to India. There is still work to do. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals.”
The European Union is India's biggest trade partner, and the FTA is expected to significantly enhance ties after negotiations were severed in 2013 and subsequent concord attempts failed.