In a major development for healthcare professionals, Italy and India have signed an agreement that opens official, streamlined pathways for the formal recruitment of Indian nurses to Italy. The agreement directly facilitates the mobility of Indian nurses to help resolve Italy’s domestic healthcare staffing shortages.
According to information released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the landmark deal was sealed during a high-profile summit on Wednesday between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
The nursing pact was a key piece of a broader diplomatic upgrade, as both leaders officially elevated the India-Italy relationship to a “Special Strategic Partnership.” To support this expanding human connection, the two nations also agreed to streamline visa mobility for students and researchers, while officially declaring 2027 as the “Year of Culture and Tourism between India and Italy.”
Beyond workforce mobility, the high-level meeting locked in major economic and security directives. The prime ministers set a deadline to boost bilateral trade to Euro 20 billion by 2029, a push that will heavily leverage the newly finalized India-EU Free Trade Agreement. They also moved their defense relationship away from a simple buyer-seller dynamic by signing a roadmap to co-design and co-produce military hardware. On regional infrastructure, both leaders expressed a strong desire to advance future concrete projects under the planned India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
The summit marked the final stop of PM Modi’s five-nation tour of Europe and the UAE.