India, Netherlands upgrade ties, boost semiconductor partnership

India and the Netherlands upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership as PM Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his counterpart Rob Jetten in The Hague. The leaders also witnessed the signing of an agreement between Tata Electronics and ASML to support the semiconductor fabrication plant in Gujarat’s Dholera, with Modi calling it an important step in India’s journey for developing a semiconductor ecosystem in the country. The Dutch foreign minister, Tom Berendsen, told TOI in an interview that the new strategic partnership will be focused on trade and investment, security, innovation, and people-to-people ties. The two PMs welcomed the decision of Tata Electronics and ASML to partner together for India’s first front-end semiconductor Fab in Gujarat, according to the MEA. The Netherlands has one of the world's most advanced semiconductor ecosystems, with Dutch multinational ASML being the leading supplier for high-precision lithography equipment, a critical requirement in manufacturing of semiconductor chips. “Semiconductor chips will be manufactured in India using ASML's equipment. The optimism towards India is clearly visible in all of your words today. We guarantee that this optimism will translate into an outcome,” said Modi in a roundtable with Dutch CEOs. The PM said that the year 2026 marks the beginning of a new golden era in India-Europe relations. “This year, we signed the historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement. This agreement, between the world's two largest democratic and responsible powers, will become a strong foundation for shared prosperity,” he said. Ahead of his meeting with the Dutch PM, Modi also said that the 2 countries were going to take several decisions during his visit, including elevating the trusted relationship to a strategic partnership, launching an ambitious joint roadmap in green hydrogen ensuring tech ties are future-ready. According to the MEA, Modi’s visit focused on building upon the momentum of high-level engagements and close cooperation spanning diverse sectors, including defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and a strategic partnership on Water. The Netherlands is one of India's largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade worth $ 27.8 billion (2024-25), and India's 4th largest investor with cumulative FDI of $ 55.6 billion.