Strasbourg, 02/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - The report by Spanish Socialist Emilio Menendez del Valle, adopted last Thursday in Strasbourg, suggests concrete action should be taken within the framework of the strategic partnership between the EU and India. It also confirms the Commission guidelines already approved by Council. Specific proposals include the creation of an EU-India centre for Indian studies, a strategy for improving EU visibility in India, as well as mutually, and an initiative in favour of a better understanding of the stakes of the global economy. Furthermore, the Parliament gives its support to the Indian initiative calling for institutionalisation of cooperation with Europol, and trusts that it will be granted "privileged country status". MEPs also stress the importance of dialogue between India and Pakistan on the subject of Kashmir.
The next EU-India Summit, on 8 November, will serve to launch work allowing for a new strategic partnership to be reached between the EU and India on the basis of the Commission communication and on India's response. The stakes of this rapprochement will be to reach development of an EU-India action plan for the following summit in 2005, during which a political statement should also be adopted. The Dutch Foreign Minister, Atzo Nicolai, who approves the recommendations set out in the EP report, had pointed out the day before that "relations between the two partners goes on improving", but he stressed that India must "take new measures to reduce violations of human rights". Gunter Verheugen said "India deserves special attention" and the consolidation of bilateral relations is not simply essential in trade terms but also for strengthening multilateralism, the fight against terrorism, as well as regarding human rights.
During the debates, all the political groups hailed the report and, like Marcello Vernola (EPP-ED, Italy), backed certain approaches on the question of Kashmir. "India and Pakistan must move forward on the question of Kashmir, with the help of the EU", he said. He spoke in favour of the creation of a centre for studying Indian languages, as the report suggests. "More concrete goals are needed (…) and why not a partnership in the context of the PEV", Neena Gill (PES, UK) asked, insisting that Indians should prepare a document before the next visit. Cem Özdemir (Greens/EFA, Germany), the author of several amendments, considers it has "taken too long to understand the importance of India". He asked whether "more equitable trade might not be more appropriate than development aid" and insisted on the question of human rights, gender issues and nuclear disarmament - subjects on which the Greens had proposed amendments that had not been adopted. Roger Maurice Knapman (IND-DEM, Britain), on the other hand, felt the report "does not boost employment", especially in the context of de-localisation of employment from Europe to India. This concern is shared by Belgian elected member of the Vlaams Blok, Philip Claeys.