In preparation for the EU-India Summit to be held in 2025, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, underlined in New Delhi, on Friday 28 February her intention to finalise negotiations on a free trade agreement between the two parties within the year.
This would be “the largest deal of this kind anywhere in the world”, the President enthused in a speech. “I am well aware it will not be easy. But I also know that timing and determination count, and that this partnership comes at the right moment”, she added.
TTC. The EU will have to obtain concessions from its Indian partner in key sectors such as wine, spirits and cars, which it would like to see reflected in the agreement.
The EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) (see EUROPE 13576/9), which took place on the same day, was specifically aimed at advancing discussions on the trade front.
The TTC’s final statement recognises, among other things, the “challenges” that India has raised in relation to the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), “in particular for the small and medium enterprises”, and states that the two parties will continue to address these issues.
It also mentions market access issues, in particular to address EU concerns about the lack of openness of the Indian market.
The two sides also welcomed the progress made in the agri-food, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and clean technologies sectors.
The EU and India are expected to present a joint ‘roadmap’ on green hydrogen ahead of their bilateral summit. Mrs von der Leyen also announced the launch of a joint task force on the subject.
The next TTC, scheduled to take place in a year’s time, will follow on from these discussions and is expected to focus in particular on collaboration in the field of semiconductors.
To see the TTC statement: https://aeur.eu/f/fpg
Defence and security. Against a backdrop of geopolitical turmoil, the President of the Commission said that India was “a pillar of certainty in an increasingly uncertain world”.
“Now is the time to step up our security and defence cooperation on land, at sea and in space”, she told the press, stressing the importance of cyber security.
With a view to their new strategic agenda (see EUROPE 13589/1), Mrs von der Leyen announced her intention to seal a future security and defence partnership, which would be modelled on the EU’s partnerships with Japan and South Korea (see EUROPE 13517/10).
She also mentioned the need to deepen cooperation to protect the cables that provide data connectivity between India and the EU, and to diversify military supplies and access to new capabilities.
The two sides also stressed the need to improve connectivity between the two regions, notably via the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, formalised in 2023, and to adopt a common technological agenda. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys with Léa Marchal and Solenn Paulic)