Striking a blow for EU-India relations

Two MEPs discuss EU-India ties.

Neena Gill

Doctor A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the president of India, declared last week that "India and the EU are unique and natural partners". His visit to Strasbourg took place the same month that the European Parliament established its delegation to India, separating it out from the rest of the south Asian countries in recognition of the increasing prominence of India on the EU’s list of priorities. The president promoted the idea of a shared knowledge platform between India and the EU. The EU’s ambition to be a knowledge-based economy is certainly a good basis upon which to found this. In the next ten years, much could be done to realise the Indian president’s dream to the advantage of both parties.

Economic predictions indicate that India is set to grow faster than any other major economy over the next half century, to become the third largest economy after the US and Japan. India offers enormous potential for EU growth in trade and the next ten years will likely see the growth rate rise, too. There is huge potential for growth in areas like financial services, engineering and biotechnology - India has become the world’s biggest market for all types of vaccines. Indian foreign investment in the EU has increased five-fold over the last ten years and there is no reason to think that this rapid increment will not continue, or even speed up. And growth will go beyond economics: India looks likely to take the title of the world’s most populous country from China as early as 2020. In the light of this, the EU-India partnership should be cultivated as one of the most important external relationships of the EU.

It is now obvious to both parties that their democracies share more than an interest in growing trade. Clear advantages can also be derived from best-practice exchanges in the area of cutting-edge research, including joint investment in collaborative projects, and in a common responsibility for promoting global security and working shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight against terrorism.

India is more a land of contrasts now than ever. Today India combines the capacities of a first world country with extreme poverty rates. About a third of the Indian population is malnourished, although 60% of the population work in agriculture, while, at the same time, more than 50% of India’s gross domestic product comes from trade in services. India is home to 250 universities, which educated more than 3.2 million scientists in 2006, and is becoming the knowledge superpower. On the other hand, 39% of India’s adult population can neither read nor write. The state is armed with nuclear weapons, this April it launched its first commercial satellite (joining the US, Russia, Ukraine and the EU), and internet and mobile phone networks criss-cross the country providing coverage even in remote villages. But problems persist with India’s national infrastructure: hundreds of millions of citizens are still without a steady supply of electricity and India is the world’s sixth largest emitter of carbon dioxide.

If the EU has woken up to India’s importance, India must wake up to the full significance of the EU. Just as the EU looked upon India, until now, as a lesser trading partner, but a growing security partner, India has so far considered the EU as a growing trade partner, but a lesser global security actor. As the EU reconsiders the potential of India in terms of trade, so India should open its eyes to the value of the soft power of the EU in promoting global stability. This nascent re-evaluation will probably result in strengthened relations, particularly if the EU can build mechanisms to develop its hard power and enter the club of major global security actors. The next ten years should produce not only tangible results of the EU recognising that India is a power it cannot ignore, but should also show India that the EU is its most strategic global partner from every policy angle.

• UK Socialist (PES) MEP Neena Gill is chairwoman of the Parliament’s delegation for relations with India.

Bastiaan Belder

The Indian President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited the European Parliament last week, on 25 April. He spoke about the unique relationship of the European Union and India. He pointed out that India and the EU are interconnected by language, culture, ancient beliefs, ideologies and the movement of people. "This has matured into a very strong bondage," he said. India indeed is an important partner, especially in the area of trade. Besides that, the Union has recently raised the development aid for India from €45 million to €67m. That is why it would be commendable of the European Union to maintain its own political principles. One of those principles, respect for civil rights - freedom of religion - really is a serious and alarming problem in India.

The EU-India relations go back to the early 1960s. The European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero Waldner said on her visit to India last February that the EU indeed has been India’s trading partner for a long time, but that she is also keen to work on "the crucial issues of our day". Among other things, she mentioned the promotion of human rights and democracy. This is an important and valuable mission, because of the ethnic and religious diversity of the country.

But these idealistic words create a poignant contrast to the every day life of Christians in India. The All India Christian Council described their situation last January: "India, a constitutional, secular democratic republic, continues to be not a very safe place for its tiny Christian minority". Last year a member of the Christian minority fell victim to a penal offence at least once every three days. The official white paper reported 128 incidents of anti-Christian assaults in 2006, only the most vicious crimes. The paper leaves aside the repeated assaults on the road, the taunts and sexual harassment which takes place while the police look away, or worse, look on.

One recent incident of persecution took place in Karnataka. Compass Direct News reported that a mob of around 50 Hindu extremists surrounded a house church on the night of 22 April. They began shouting derogatory statements at the worshippers. Terrified worshippers shut the doors and phoned local police. Two policemen arrived and took two pastors to the police station. En route, a few activists began beating and insulting the pastors and four other worshippers who had accompanied them, as the police officers looked on. The tirade continued until 3am., when the pastors were jailed, not being released on bail until 25 April. Inspector Kishore Kumar told Compass the pastors were charged with "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion" and "deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs".

Christians have to deal with hate campaigns, demonisation and violence like this incident. The long list of shocking physical and verbal aggression against Christians, nearly exclusively committed by Hindu extremists, shows the effect of the anti-conversion laws in everyday life. Over and over, Christians are accused of illegal conversion activities.

Besides these assaults directed against Christians, Human Rights Without Frontiers made mention of the anti-conversion laws in India, which were adopted on 30 December 2006. "Supporters of the laws argue that they are intended to prohibit conversions or conversion attempts that are conducted by allurement, force or fraud. They suggest that such conversions are presently taking place, and that these laws are designed to criminalise such activities. The anti-conversion laws are therefore presented and titled as if their purpose were the protection of the ‘freedom of religion’," the human rights organisations said.

The position of the Christians in India have caused anxiety, but the violations against these innocent people remain unmentioned within the EU institutions. The words of the European commissioner therefore need a clear follow-up. The European Union - Parliament, Council and Commission - have a responsible task in this matter.

• Dutch MEP Bastiaan Belder is an Independence/ Democracy member of the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee and of the delegation for relations with India.

Two MEPs discuss EU-India ties.