NEW DELHI: Germany announced visa-free transit for Indian passport holders transiting through its airports, a key outcome among 19 agreements finalized during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s two-day official visit on Monday. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated the comprehensive outcomes aim to deepen cooperation across the strategic, economic, and people-to-people pillars of the bilateral partnership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Chancellor Merz for the transit announcement, stating it would facilitate easier travel for Indian nationals and further intensify people-to-people links.
A major strategic advancement was a ‘Joint Declaration of Intent’ to strengthen defense industrial cooperation. Addressing the India-Germany CEOs Forum, Prime Minister Modi said, “This will provide clear policy support to our companies for co-innovation and co-production in defence. New opportunities for cooperation will also open up in the space sector.” To reinforce economic engagement, both sides decided to integrate the newly established CEO Forum into the joint India-Germany economic and investment committee framework.
In critical and emerging technologies, India and Germany signed declarations of intent covering semiconductor ecosystem development, cooperation on critical minerals, and collaboration in telecommunications, according to the MEA.
Energy and sustainability agreements featured prominently. An offtake agreement was signed between India’s AM Green and Germany’s Uniper Global Commodities for the supply of green ammonia. Separately, India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water Industries (DVGW) to cooperate on renewable energy.
On education, skilling, and mobility, the two sides adopted a higher education roadmap and concluded additional agreements. These include setting up a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Renewable Energy at the National Skill Training Institute in Hyderabad.
The MEA also confirmed the establishment of a Track 1.5 foreign policy and security dialogue, alongside a new bilateral dialogue mechanism focused on the Indo-Pacific.
Regarding climate finance, Germany committed an additional €1.24 billion under the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership. These funds are designated for projects covering renewable energy, green hydrogen, the PM e-Bus Sewa programme, and climate-resilient urban infrastructure. The Prime Minister’s Office noted Germany had earlier committed €10 billion under the partnership for 2030, largely through concessional loans, with approximately €5 billion already utilized or earmarked since 2022.
Additionally, a battery storage working group has been launched under the India-Germany Platform for Investments in Renewable Energy Worldwide, the MEA stated.