The European Union and India. Rhetoric or Meaningful Partnership?

This multi-disciplinary book provides a comprehensive analysis of the EU–India relationship from 1950 to the present day, as a way of assessing whether a meaningful and sustainable relationship is emerging and whether it will play a role in the future of international diplomacy and business.

The question comes at a time of significant changes in the re-configuration of global power. Using both historical insights and contemporary policy analysis, the authors investigate whether the social, economic and political interests of the EU and India are genuinely compatible. Leaders in both regions have been promoting the relationship for many decades, but the authors scrutinise their words to discover whether they are merely rhetorical gestures or reflect genuine complementarities. They also investigate the motivation behind the relationship, and provide an in-depth analysis of the areas of mutual interest and conflict. The book examines these issues in the context of the history of the EU–India relationship, alongside contemporary policy concerns.

This comparative book will appeal to academics, students and policy-makers with an interest in international politics and public policy, economic development and business, Asian studies and European studies.

Contents:
Introduction: The Problem of EU and India Relations

1. Fearing European Unity and Yearning for Asian Cooperation: The Early Years

2. Indian Lobbying and European Economic Community Dissensions in the 1960s

3. British Entry: Anxiety Embedded

4. The Arrival of Indian Pragmatism

5. The Rise of Asia and India from the 1990s to the 21st Century

6. EU-India Current Perceptions and Implementation Challenges

7. Why European Cows are the Envy of Poor Indian Farmers

8. It Takes Two to Tango: Industry and Foreign Direct Investment

9. EU-INDIA Security Issues: Fundamental Incompatibilities

10. Development Cooperation: Have the Tables turned?

Conclusion: The EU-India Relationship in an Era of Dramatic Transformations

Index