EU-India relations

The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Alviina ALAMETSÄ (Greens/EFA, FI) on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council, Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning EU-India relations.

In 2022, the EU and India marked the 60th anniversary of their bilateral partnership. While this partnership has gained momentum in recent years, it has, however, not yet reached its full potential.

The aim of this recommendation is to broaden and deepen EU-India relations by making progress in priority areas that are in the interest of both sides and the well-being of their respective citizens through enhanced cooperation in various areas, as outlined in the EU-India Roadmap 2025.

Recommendations

The report made the following recommendations to the Council, Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:

The EU-India Strategic Partnership: the institutional framework

- continue to broaden and deepen EU-India relations as strategic partners and to uphold the commitment to regular multi-level dialogues and summits;

- pursue a ‘Team Europe’ approach to the partnership;

- make tangible advances on priority areas of the partnership, in particular climate change and green growth, digitalisation and new technologies, research and development, connectivity, trade and investment, foreign, security and defence policy and human rights and the rule of law;

- establish a more structured and multi-level inter-parliamentary dialogue between the European Parliament and its Indian counterparts.

EU-India cooperation on foreign and security policy

- further develop both parties’ growing cooperation on foreign and security policy and promote greater synergies in this field through existing dialogue mechanisms and other fora set up under the EU-India Roadmap to 2025;

- encourage India to strengthen regional security cooperation while acknowledging the volatile context of proliferation, military modernisation, and territorial disputes;

- enhance cooperation on hybrid threats, particularly in the fight against disinformation campaigns, through mechanisms aiming to share evidence and intelligence;

- expand and broaden EU-India cooperation on maritime security;

- strengthen EU-India cooperation on disarmament and non-proliferation and encourage India to join EU efforts to promote nuclear safety and the non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in the region;

- engage with India on the issue of its heavy military dependency on Russia and on the EU’s sanctions policy towards Russia and on its continued purchases of crude oil from Russia at low prices.

Human rights and democracy: from an appendix to the heart of EU-India relations

- effectively enshrine human rights and democratic values at the heart of the EU’s engagement with India with the aim of a constructive and results-based dialogue;

- develop a strategy and plan of action to address these issues, and to integrate them across the wider EU-India partnership;

- engage with India on its efforts to investigate and prevent gender-based violence and discrimination and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Connecting on climate, energy and digital issues

- enhance cooperation on climate and energy issues with India as a key partner in the global fight against climate change and biodiversity degradation and in a green transition towards renewable energy and climate neutrality, with due regard to their impact on the most vulnerable.