India and the EU must take their strategic ties to the "next level" in an era of great power competition and geopolitical turmoils and the relationship has the potential to be one of the defining partnerships of this century,

India and the European Union will try to seal a trade deal during this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

Von der Leyen is in India with 22 members of the 27-strong EU College of Commissioners for the first such visit to a non-European nation since she got a fresh mandate last year