The European Commission will not just be taking part in the EU/India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) on 28 February. The entire College of Commissioners will travel to New Delhi on 27 and 28 February. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wants to give greater importance to relations between the EU and India at a time when the atmosphere is deteriorating with the United States and China. “Together with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, we want to update the strategic partnership with the largest democracy in the world”, Ms von der Leyen had said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 21 January.
The TTC, launched in 2023 and due to meet annually, will only be in its second year. Trade relations with India are tainted by a number of disputes, and the technology sector is particularly hard hit (see EUROPE 13536/27). The joint declaration due to be adopted at the end of the second TTC makes no mention of the digital sector, according to a first draft of the document seen by Agence Europe.
Only market access, which is sometimes problematic, is mentioned. On this point, the EU and India plan to establish a “regular review mechanism to pursue their efforts on these topics and to continue their engagement on remaining issues flagged by each other”.
New Delhi, which initiated the first draft of the declaration, wants to mention the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in the text, a tool whose “implementation poses challenges, especially for SMEs”, according to the Indian proposal.
At the first TTC, in 2023, India obtained a joint declaration on the problems associated with the implementation of CBAM (see EUROPE 13182/14).
In addition, the two partners are expected to focus on strengthening the value chains between them, to enable “diversification, security and sustainability”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)