The European Council has approved conclusions on a ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda’, which had been announced earlier by the European Commission.
The Belgium-based council said on Monday it welcomes the “strong impetus” that the agenda provides to relations between the European Union and India and also highlighted efforts on both sides to conclude an India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of this year.
The European Council is responsible for the general political direction and priorities of the 27-member economic bloc. Its conclusions this week have endorsed the Join Communication on the new agenda and its objective of deepening EU-India ties in areas including prosperity and sustainability, technology and innovation, security and defense, and connectivity and global issues.
“The council welcomes in particular efforts to conclude a balanced, ambitious, mutually-beneficial and economically meaningful free trade agreement, which the European Commission and the Indian government aim to finalise by the end of the year,” the council said in a statement.
“Such agreement must include enhanced market access, removal of trade barriers, and provisions on sustainable development,” it added.
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It called on the European Commission to take forward the articulation and implementation of this ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda’ on the basis of the priorities set out in the Joint Communication last month.
Taking note of the importance of a closer collaboration between the EU and India on security and defense matters based on mutual trust and respect, the European Council observed that in the backdrop of an increasingly complex geopolitical scenario, it will continue to engage with India on all aspects of “Russia’s war of aggression against the Ukraine”.
It also emphasised the responsibility of the EU and India to safeguard multilateralism and the rules-based international order with the UN Charter at its core, as well as the multilateral trading system, especially with the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
“The promotion and protection of democratic values and norms, international law and human rights, including the rights of women and children, is an intrinsic part of the EU-India strategic agenda,” it said in its statement.
The approval to the new EU-India agenda follows a landmark visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February this year, which laid the foundation for a “new chapter in EU-India relations”.
This first-of-its-kind visit to the Indo-Pacific was marked by both sides assuring commitment to raising the Strategic Partnership to a higher level to boost shared prosperity, strengthen security, and tackle major global challenges together, the Joint Communication read.
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