On Thursday 27 February, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied by the College of Commissioners, began a two-day visit to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the Indian government in order to redefine the cooperation strategy for the coming years and to pursue the commercial dialogue, in particular in favour of ‘clean’ technologies.
The aim of this meeting is not to reach any conclusions, but rather to “prepare the ground” for the establishment of a new strategic agenda following on from the ‘roadmap’ for the EU-India strategic partnership for the period 2020-2025. This new agenda, which should focus on security, trade and investment, and cooperation on clean energy, will be announced at the EU-India summit scheduled for the end of this year.
“We are seeking to deepen ties with one of our most loyal friends and allies”, declared the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of the visit. “India is a like-minded partner, bound by the shared belief that democracy is the best way to serve the people”, she continued.
The visit will feature the second session of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) (see EUROPE 13580/3), a plenary session between the College and the Indian government on the morning of Friday 28, as well as bilateral meetings between the European Commissioners and their counterparts and between Ms von der Leyen and Prime Minister Modi.
Trade. The European Commission hopes that the second meeting of the TTC will be an opportunity to support the ambitions for cooperation between the two parties, rather than to come away with concrete announcements. Whether negotiating broad agreements or dealing with specific issues of market access or regulatory divergence, discussions are difficult because of widely divergent positions. However, in an uncertain geopolitical context, the EU would like to seize the opportunity of the TTC to give impetus to the negotiations and reaffirm its determination to bring them to a close.
During the discussions, the EU and India will address the ongoing negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the Agreement on the Protection of Investments and the Agreement on the Protection of Geographical Indications respectively.
In a joint declaration at the end of the TTC, to which the EU Council gave the green light on Thursday 27 February, the EU and India are expected to affirm their desire to cooperate in the fields of technology and to commit to working to reduce trade barriers.
Market access issues will be mentioned in order to take into account the EU’s concerns about the lack of openness of the Indian market, as well as those of New Delhi, which does not look favourably on certain European measures, such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Customs duties in India are much higher than those in the EU or the United States. New Delhi, for example, charges up to 150% on certain alcoholic beverages. The country also restricts access to public procurement.
The areas of cooperation will extend to the value chains of clean technologies, as both parties share the desire to position themselves on the global market for these products. It is particularly crucial for the EU to be able to count on India when it comes to sourcing raw materials, as well as exchanging practices and standards around green hydrogen projects, for example. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal and Pauline Denys)