French President Emmanuel Macron praised India’s rise as a global innovation leader while speaking alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Bharat Innovates event in Nice, calling India a “country of innovation” and highlighting the rapid expansion of Indo‑French cooperation in artificial intelligence, climate action and civil nuclear energy. He said India’s progress in research, technology and frontier sectors reflects its growing global influence and strengthens the foundation of the bilateral partnership.
Macron emphasised that France and India now share a deep, long‑term collaboration across critical domains, including AI, clean energy, climate resilience and nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors. He noted that India’s scientific achievements — particularly the Chandrayaan‑3 landing near the Moon’s south pole — demonstrate exceptional innovation, execution and industrial capability, reinforcing India’s status as a disruptive force in global technology.
The French president also highlighted India’s demographic strength, pointing out that the country produces more than one million engineers annually, surpassing the combined output of Europe and the United States. He said this talent pool, combined with India’s expanding research ecosystem, makes the country central to France’s strategic, industrial and academic vision for the 21st century.
Macron added that France remains Europe’s most attractive investment destination for the seventh consecutive year, noting that the recent Choose France initiative secured €93 billion in confirmed investments. He welcomed Modi to France, saying the visit reflects India’s rising global standing and the continuity of its leadership.