Brussels, 07/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, at the EU-India Summit in New Delhi, the EU and India signed a wide-ranging Action Plan and political statement setting out areas of cooperation covered by the strategic partnership signed last year (see EUROPE 8823). The Action Plan measures aim to boost dialogue, consultation and exchange mechanisms for political, cultural, educational, economic and trade matters. Before each annual EU-India Summit, a progress report will be drawn up for the Action Plan, with the first general assessment being made at the 2008 Summit (which will be held in Europe). The Action Plan will provide a framework and a roadmap for identifying paths to be followed for future cooperation, said Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, at a press conference in New Delhi, where the British prime minister and President of the European Council, Tony Blair, recognised the importance of relations with India to Europe. Blair said he had no doubt that this new move marked a significant and decisive change in relations between the EU and India.
Political dialogue will look at pluralism and social diversity, regional cooperation (technical assistance), democracy, human rights and effective multilateralism. Recognising the central role of the United Nations in this connection, the Action Plan makes no mention of current plans to reform the UN or India's attempt to become a permanent member of the Security Council. Tony Blair repeated his support for New Delhi's request for a seat on the Security Council, but said that the matter was still a moot point among EU Member States.
On more technical matters, the Action Plan foresees cooperation and exchanges in the training of United Nations military and civilian peace-building and peace-keeping personnel, and post-war aid from the United Nations, including police and security forces. More generally, the political statement foresees the establishment of EU-India dialogue on global and regional security, disarmament and non-proliferation. Singh said both sides agreed that terrorism has no role to play in a civilised world and they would work together to combat terrorism. Disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including the use of weapons by terrorists (which would threaten peace and security) requires the stepping up of multilateral consultations and the pooling of resources and efforts without forming an obstacle to international cooperation on material, equipment and technology for peaceful purposes, explains the action plan. Counter-terrorism and measures to stem the funding of terrorism and money-laundering will benefit from liaison between European and Asian officials, while the Action Plan foresees greater cooperation between Europol and the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and a contact point in India for Eurojust.
The chapter on approximating peoples and cultures looks at dialogue on migration and consular issues carried out by a working group set up at the EU-India Summit of the year 2000.
There will be more exchange visits between the European Parliament and the Indian parliament, and more student exchanges under the Erasmus Programme. More direct links between universities, representatives of civil society and the media will also be supported.
In terms of business and trade, both sides decided to establish a High Level Trade Group with responsibility for examining possible areas of bilateral negotiation for a new trade and investment initiative. The Group will unveil its report at the next EU-India Summit (at the end of next year). A discussion forum is also to be set up on industrial policy, and cooperation will be extended to science and technology research projects, through jointly sponsored research in the field of nanotechnology, genomes, biotech, road transport and energy, for example. A working group on agri-food issues will be set up and there will be exchange of information between both sides on their respective competition policies.
On environmental issues, Europeans and Indians decided to launch a common initiative on clean development and climate change with the aim of promoting clean technology. The Action Plan endorses the working groups established by the EU-India Energy Panel (see EUROPE 8983). India will participate in ITER (the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) and the development of alternative energy. Both sides will continue to cooperate on nuclear energy, gas and oil to ensure guaranteed supplies and price stability. The United States has promised India it will fully cooperate in India's nuclear power programme in exchange for guarantees that power stations and military uses of nuclear material will be kept separate. The EU's Action Plan foresees the signing of a Framework Agreement on shipping, and the launch of dialogue on civil aviation, focussing more particularly on technological cooperation, regulations and infrastructure. On Wednesday, India's prime minister Manmohan Singh announced his government had approved an order for 43 Airbus aircraft by Indian Airlines for EUR 2.2 billion.
Both sides reaffirmed their intention to work together to make a success of the WTO Summit in Hong Kong and to ensure the Doha Development Agenda is concluded. The main obstacle in the way is the question of farm trade, which India and the EU will be discussing, along with updating their policies in this area.
At the EU-India Business Summit, being held elsewhere in Delhi at the same time, India's trade and industry minister Kamal Nath said he wanted the EU to increase access to the market for Indian farm and marine produce, slamming the over-frequent use of trade defence mechanisms by the European Union. He regretted that a disproportionately high number of textile, electronics, chemical, pharmaceutical and steel products and herbal remedies were facing anti-dumping measures from the EU. He said the EU's anti-dumping measures were neither fair nor rational.