The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, highlighted the common interests of the EU and India on Wednesday 15 July at the end of the virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two “largest democracies in the world” must deepen their potential for cooperation by strengthening it in key areas, European leaders urged Mr Modi: climate change, digital transition, multilateralism, etc. This desire was put down on paper with the adoption of Agenda 2025 (https://bit.ly/3frRhCe ).
“The EU wants to play a stronger role in the region and as a global player. The substantive dialogue with India (this Wednesday) will reinforce these strategic objectives”, Mr Michel said at the end of the summit.
“The meeting made it clear that both the EU and India want to strengthen their strategic relationship for the future (...) India can count on the European Union. And we are counting on India to be a key partner”, he added.
Cooperating on climate issues
Mrs von der Leyen, for her part, pointed out from the outset the challenges, but also the assets at the heart of the economic transition called for by the European Green Deal. “Climate action and green transition must be at the heart of our economic recovery, both in the European Union and in India”, she hammered home at a press conference. “This means making tough choices, such as phasing out coal”, conceded the Commission President to her Asian partner.
The creation of a specific dialogue on climate change at this summit should make it possible to strengthen bilateral cooperation on climate change, particularly in areas where India has a comparative advantage, such as solar energy and the circular economy. “At the global level, we won’t make any difference if we don’t work with partners like India”, von der Leyen said.
The joint declaration issued at the end of the summit lists several forums and avenues for strengthening this collaboration and influencing this collaboration at the global level.
And on digital
According to Ms von der Leyen, India is also a “natural partner for the EU” in terms of digital transformation, as both sides share “a people-centred approach”. While cooperation in this area is “already flourishing”, “there is still a huge potential for strengthening cooperation”, said the Commission President. According to their joint declaration, the two sides will thus strengthen the convergence of their regulatory frameworks to ensure a high level of protection of personal data and privacy and work together on 5G and artificial intelligence for safe and ethical deployment.
Both sides also promise to further develop security and defence consultations and military contacts and to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against terrorism, organised crime and cyber threats and for maritime security. Cooperation will also be pursued on international and regional issues of “common interest, including Iran and Afghanistan”.
Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Michel also pointed out that the EU and India are the two largest democracies in the world. “We must work more closely to promote and protect our shared interests, based on effective multilateralism, the rule of law and human rights”, Mrs von der Leyen said, while Mr Michel said the bilateral dialogue on human rights would continue.
And after 13 years of negotiations, the EU and India have also signed the Euratom-India Agreement, which stimulates research and development cooperation for peaceful nuclear energy.
Launch of a political dialogue on trade
As for economic relations, it is also a question of “unlocking their full potential” in the context of a sustainable recovery. The parties announced the launch of a dialogue at ministerial level. It will provide an opportunity to explore together ways to promote trade and investment agreements that are “balanced, ambitious and mutually beneficial, opening markets and creating a level playing field on both sides”, the statement said. This dialogue will also make it possible to raise points of friction in trade relations (see EUROPE 12527/20), to strengthen global economic governance, particularly in the framework of the G20, which India will chair in 2022, and to promote Indo-European coordination on multilateral issues, particularly with a view to “preserving, strengthening and reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO)”. The EU also hopes that India will be able to support a reform of the WTO that incorporates its enduring values.
See the EU-India Joint Statement: https://bit.ly/2ZvkI0N (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel and Camille-Cerise Gessant)