EU launches new stage in ties with India

Date: 22/06/2000

By Shada Islam

RELATIONS between the EU and India are set to enter a vital new phase with the launch of an ambitious 'strategic partnership' at the first-ever summit between the two sides next week.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, Indian Premier Atal Behari Vajpayee and Commission President Romano Prodi will adopt an ambitious 13-point agenda for "enhanced and multi-faceted cooperation" designed to put the Union's relations with India on a par with its ties with China, Russia and Japan.

Talks on trade, science and technology and India's emergence as a leading player in the information technology sector are also expected at next Wednesday's (28 June) summit, with the joint final declaration praising Delhi's seven-year old efforts at economic reform and liberalisation and setting up a network of Union and Indian think-tanks.

Diplomats say the meeting will strive to deliver a strong political message. The EU's dealings with India have so far primarily focused on development aid and have been periodically soured by tensions over Union anti-dumping moves and reciprocal market access problems, especially in the textiles sector.

The Lisbon encounter heralds a more dynamic era of cooperation and the EU's first public recognition of India as a political and economic heavyweight in both the Asian region and on the wider global stage. "The message from the Commission is that India is the world's largest democracy and it is important to engage it," said an aide to External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten.

"It is time to raise the level of our interaction," agreed a senior Indian diplomat. "India and the EU share the same values and interests. The summit is an important political event because it marks the rising importance of both the EU and India in global affairs."

The political dialogue will cover the prospects of Union-India cooperation to prevent and combat international terrorism, drug trafficking and cyber crime. Security issues, including India's troubled relations with Pakistan, tensions in Sri Lanka and India-China ties are expected to be discussed.

Trade is also on the agenda, with the EU hoping to secure Indian support for the launch of a new global trade round. "This is a very important point for us," said one Union official. "By making a joint commitment for the early start of new World Trade Organisation talks, India will be strengthening its position as an important world economic player."

Indian Trade Minister Murasoli Maran has yet to come out in favour of new global talks, insisting instead in recent statements on the need for more "equity and balance" in world trade relations

and the setting of a "positive and achievable trade-related agenda" focusing on sustainable development. Maran is particularly opposed to bringing labour issues within the WTO's remit.

Relations between the EU and India are set to enter a vital new phase with the launch of an ambitious 'strategic partnership' at the first-ever summit between the two sides on 28.6.00.