PM Modi And EU Chief Hold Talks, EU-India Trade & Technology Council To Be Launched
PM Modi and EU President reviewed progress in the vibrant India-EU Strategic Partnership and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas of trade, climate and digital technology.
New Delhi: Ahead of the Raisina Dialogue 2022 starting Monday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held talks to discuss EU-India trade along with a discussion on other significant matters.
Both the leaders reviewed progress in the vibrant India-EU Strategic Partnership and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas of trade, climate, digital technology, and people-to-people ties, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
PM Modi said to the EU chief, "Happy that when our EAM came, you organised a good meeting & provided opportunity for discussions. I believe that under your leadership, India-EU relations are achieving new heights & new areas for cooperation are being created. Our cooperation will take our relations forward."
The Prime Minister and European Commission President Monday agreed to launch an EU-India trade and technology council to address the challenges of ensuring trusted technology and security in the wake of rapid geopolitical changes.
The European Union said the strategic coordination mechanism will allow both partners to tackle challenges "at the nexus of trade, trusted technology and security, and thus deepen cooperation in these fields", according to a PTI report.
It said both sides agreed that rapid changes in the geopolitical environment highlight the need for joint in-depth strategic engagement.
"The Trade and Technology Council will provide the political steer and the necessary structure to operationalise political decisions, coordinate technical work, and report to the political level to ensure implementation and follow-up in areas that are important for the sustainable progress of European and Indian economies," the EU said in a statement.
The EU said shared values and common interests of the EU and India offer a strong basis to intensify mutually beneficial and deeper strategic cooperation.
"The European Union and India are bound by decades of close partnership and are determined to increase joint efforts to tackle current challenges and address geopolitical circumstances," it said.
"The decision to set up a Trade and Technology Council will be the first for India with any of its partners and second for the European Union following the first one it has set up with the US," the EU said.
It said establishing the EU-India council is a key step toward a strengthened strategic partnership for the benefit of all peoples in the EU and India.
The European Commission President began a two-day visit to India on Sunday in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. She will be the chief guest at Raisina Dialogue, India's flagship multilateral foreign policy and geo-economics conference, which will be inaugurated by PM Modi today evening.
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