The 16th EU-India Summit, to be held on Tuesday 27 January, will focus on the conclusion of a free trade agreement, and will also be an opportunity for the two parties to consolidate their cooperation on security and defence.
To this end, a “tailor-made, mutually beneficial” Security and Defence Partnership will be established.
According to a version of the agreement dated Wednesday 21 January and consulted by Agence Europe, this would involve applying an arsenal of dialogue mechanisms, consisting of the annual EU-India strategic dialogue at ministerial level - between the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and the Indian minister - and the existing enhanced security and defence consultations to exchange views on the general strategic context and the dialogue dedicated to the Indo-Pacific region.
The partnership will also build on existing thematic dialogues “in areas of common interest”, such as space and maritime security, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, non-proliferation and disarmament.
Maritime safety. The EU and India, which have already conducted joint maritime exercises, should improve their operational cooperation. The partners also plan to coordinate their efforts against threats to critical underwater infrastructures and to promote a maritime order based on respect for international law.
Cybersecurity. There are also plans to step up dialogue, with regular exchanges on threats, respective regulatory frameworks and the coordination of diplomatic responses to malicious cyber attacks. The collaboration will also focus on the impact of artificial intelligence and its proper use.
Counterterrorism and transnational organised crime. On this point, sharing analyses and cooperation in multilateral forums are recommended.
The EU and India are also confirming their commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament through a dedicated dialogue.
Thus, the EU-India Strategic Dialogue on Foreign and Security Policy, which should enable regular analysis of these subjects targeted by the partnership, will aim to take stock as well of the progress made, to encourage and maintain both the annual dialogue on foreign and security policy and the commitments at ministerial and summit level, with a view to improving and developing cooperation.
The text specifies that the partnership is legally non-binding and is not intended to “create or give rise to rights or binding legal or other obligations” under national or international law.
The text: https://aeur.eu/f/kcw (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)