EU-India Strategic Partnership

Key points

The EESC:

1. urges the European Commission to work consistently towards upgrading the Strategic Partnership with India, the largest formal democracy in the world, proposing a new ambitious roadmap adapted to the current political and strategic circumstances;
2. asks the European Commission to urgently step up negotiations with India on a Free Trade Agreement, with a view to establishing India as a preferential partner of the European Union in a strategic context;
3. advocates expanding cooperation between the EU and India in all fields, further promoting fair, inclusive and rules-based international trade, building on the shared history and values of our ancient civilisations, as well as on our common understanding of contemporary realities;
4. recommends furthering cooperation between the EU and its Member States and India in bilateral and multilateral projects on infrastructure, construction – especially deep-water ports and airports – and energy connectivity;
5. advocates further deepening cooperation between the EU and its Member States and India on defence and security, especially in the R&D and innovation sector, including joint space and dual use projects, with special emphasis on the contribution of small and medium enterprises (SMEs);
6. recommends furthering cooperation between the EU and its Members States and India in joint projects of maritime security, especially in the Western Indian Ocean and the shipping lanes crossing it;
7. recommends further expanding cultural exchanges between the EU and its Member States and India, in particular through university cooperation and student exchanges, as well as exchanges between teaching and scientific personnel;
8. recommends expanding cooperation with India in the framework of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC); to that effect, it will prepare a comprehensive opinion on the IMEC project and its perspectives in the near future;
9. stresses that the new EU-India partnership must contribute to the ratification and implementation of the core ILO conventions and to the progressive reduction of informality in the labour market;
10. calls upon the European Council, the European Commission and the EU Member States to urgently reactivate the EESC’s EU-India Round Table with the involvement of civil society;
11. welcomes the upcoming EU-India Summit, including the Youth Summit component; to that effect, it would be available to contribute to it accordingly;