Brussels, 26/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - The first summit between India and the European Union will be held on Wednesday 28 June with the participation of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bahari Vajpayee, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, European High Representative for CFSP Javier Solana, European Commission President Romano Prodi, and Foreign Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten. The summit will be preceded that morning by a meeting at ministerial level and, the day before, on 27 June, by a meeting of businessmen devoted to the following questions: infrastructures, information and telecommunications technologies, biotechnologies, and financial services. The Indian Ambassador with the EU, Mr Dasgupta, believes the aim of this first Summit will be to use the "enormous cooperation potential" between the European Union and India. "We are only just beginning to explore these possibilities, in order to develop, together, our competitiveness on the world market, for example, on the quality software market".
Those taking part at the Summit will review the following points:
1) Strengthening of relations between the EU and India through political dialogue, dialogue within the civil society, economic dialogue between businessmen, and cooperation. The Summit is expected, above all, to announce two initiatives involving the civil society in the future development of relations: i) the creation of a "think tank" network of academics; ii) the creation of a round table of eminent persons (scientific, academic, journalists, etc.). The aim is to improve the knowledge of respective realities.
2) Economic development and regional security in Asia.
3). Developments under way in Europe: euro, enlargement, security and defence policy, etc.
4) Liberalisation of international trade and cooperation on global issues: international terrorism, drugs trafficking, disarmament and non-proliferation, human rights, and the environment.
A joint press release marking a new chapter in bilateral relations will be adopted at the close of the work, and an action programme in the political, economic and commercial fields will be launched. The meeting could allow the announcement of projects in the civil aviation, research and information technologies sectors, among others.