The green strategic partnership: India and Norway chart a sustainable future

An Indian Prime Minister visited Norway for the first time in over 40 years (since 1986), marking a major diplomatic milestone in India-Nordic engagement. In...

What Happened

An Indian Prime Minister visited Norway for the first time in over 40 years (since 1986), marking a major diplomatic milestone in India-Nordic engagement.
India and Norway elevated bilateral ties to a Green Strategic Partnership, formalising cooperation across clean energy, maritime, digital infrastructure, and scientific research.
12 agreements and memoranda were signed covering space cooperation (ISRO-Norwegian Space Agency MoU), digital development, health, geosciences, ocean energy, carbon capture, and green shipping.
The India-Norway Digital Development Partnership was launched to promote digital public infrastructure (DPI) and open digital ecosystems, including outreach to the Global South.
Norway formally joined India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), signalling alignment on maritime security and sustainable ocean governance.
The 3rd India-Nordic Summit was held in Oslo on May 19, 2026, with leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway, agreeing to elevate the partnership to a "Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership."

Static Topic Bridges

Green Strategic Partnerships in India's Foreign Policy

India has increasingly deployed the "Green Strategic Partnership" framework to anchor bilateral relations in climate and clean energy goals, first used with Denmark in 2020. These frameworks typically include joint commitments on renewable energy targets, green hydrogen, carbon capture, and sustainable finance. They signal a departure from purely trade or security-driven partnerships toward issue-based alliances shaped by shared climate obligations under the Paris Agreement.

India's first Green Strategic Partnership was with Denmark (2020), which later became a template for Nordic outreach.
India's climate targets include 500 GW of renewable energy capacity and 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen production by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2070.
Norway's sovereign wealth fund (Government Pension Fund Global) — the world's largest at over $1.7 trillion — has invested in Indian equities, making it a significant indirect financial partner.

Connection to this news: The India-Norway GSP deepens a Nordic template that allows India to access technology, capital, and institutional knowledge from small but technologically advanced economies without the political complexities of large-power diplomacy.

India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA)

Norway is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which concluded its Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with India on March 10, 2024; it entered into force on October 1, 2025 — India's first FTA with four developed European economies (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein). This is also the first Indian trade agreement with a binding investment commitment: EFTA nations collectively pledged USD 100 billion in FDI to India over 15 years, targeting one million jobs.

TEPA covers 14 chapters: goods, services, investment promotion, IPR, government procurement, dispute settlement, and a dedicated sustainable development chapter — India's first with legally binding environmental and labour commitments in a trade pact.
EFTA eliminates tariffs on approximately 99.6% of India's export value to the bloc.
The agreement came after 16 years of intermittent negotiations.

Connection to this news: The GSP visit consolidates the TEPA relationship at the political level, unlocking implementation momentum for green technology investment from Norwegian companies such as Equinor (energy), Yara International (fertilisers), and Orkla (food).

Blue Economy and India's Sagarmala Programme

"Blue economy" refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and ocean ecosystem health. Norway — with the world's second-largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and leadership in offshore energy, fisheries management, and green shipping — is a natural partner for India's Sagarmala Programme (launched 2015), which aims to modernise ports, promote port-led development, and develop 14 Coastal Economic Zones.

India's EEZ covers approximately 2.37 million sq km, the 18th largest in the world.
Sagarmala aims to reduce logistics costs, currently 14% of GDP (against a global average of 8%), and create 10 million jobs by 2035.
Norway joined India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), launched by India in 2019, which has seven thematic pillars: maritime security, maritime ecology, maritime resources, capacity-building, disaster risk reduction, science and technology, and trade and connectivity.

Connection to this news: Norway's formal accession to IPOI and the bilateral agreements on offshore wind, wave energy, and green shipping directly support both Sagarmala's goals and India's maritime security architecture in the Indo-Pacific.

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and India Stack

India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — commonly called "India Stack" — refers to a suite of interoperable, open-source digital systems including Aadhaar (identity), UPI (payments), DigiLocker (documents), and ONDC (commerce). India has positioned this as a Global South model for inclusive digital development, and the India-Norway Digital Development Partnership extends this diplomacy to Nordic cooperation.

India Stack underpins over 14 billion monthly UPI transactions (2025 data).
India and Norway agreed to co-promote DPI in developing countries as part of a Triangular Development Cooperation framework.
The UN's Global Digital Compact (2024) recognises India's DPI model as replicable for development goals.

Connection to this news: The digital partnership reinforces India's soft power strategy of exporting governance technology to both Nordic and Global South partners simultaneously.

CSIR-SINTEF Partnership and Carbon Capture

The agreement between India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Norway's SINTEF (Scandinavia's largest research institution) focuses on sustainable development, bio-based materials, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS involves capturing CO₂ at the point of emission, transporting it, and storing it underground — Norway has operated the world's longest-running offshore CCS project (Sleipner) since 1996.

CSIR is the largest publicly funded R&D organisation in India with 37 constituent laboratories.
SINTEF was established in 1950 and has expertise in offshore energy, marine technology, and materials science.
India has included CCS in its long-term low-carbon development strategy submitted to the UNFCCC.

Connection to this news: This institutional tie-up gives India access to Norway's four decades of CCS operational experience, critical for India's industrial decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors (steel, cement).

Key Facts & Data

India-Norway bilateral merchandise trade: USD 1.05 billion (2024-25); India exports USD 630 million, imports USD 420 million.
Approximately 160 Norwegian companies operate in India across energy, telecom, shipping, and IT.
India-Nordic Summit format: 3rd edition held in Oslo, May 19, 2026; first held in 2022 (Stockholm).
Norway's last Indian PM-level visit: Rajiv Gandhi, 1986 (40-year gap closed by this visit).
PM Modi received Norway's Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit — his 32nd international honour.
India-EFTA TEPA investment pledge: USD 100 billion over 15 years, one million jobs targeted.
India's 2030 renewable energy target: 500 GW installed capacity; green hydrogen: 5 million tonnes/year.
Norway's Government Pension Fund Global: largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, over USD 1.7 trillion in assets.
IPOI pillars: 7 (Maritime Security, Maritime Ecology, Maritime Resources, Capacity Building, Disaster Risk Reduction, Science & Technology, Trade & Connectivity).
India's EEZ: approximately 2.37 million sq km.