Recommendation on EU-India relations

The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on an own-initiative report drafted by Emilio MENÉNDEZ del VALLE ahead of the 5th EU-India summit on 8 November. Parliament recommended that the Council take the decision to upgrade the EU-India relationship to a Strategic Partnership. It called for a continued strong trade relationship with India. On security matters, Parliament called for strengthened cooperation on conflict prevention and post-conflict economic reconstruction and rehabilitation. Global concerns such as non-proliferation and disarmament, terrorism and organised crime also need to be addressed. Parliament proposed expanding the mandate of the EU-India Joint Working Group on Anti-Terrorism to cover security co-operation as a whole, focusing also on money laundering, cyber-terrorism and narco-terrorism. It also supported India's application for privileged country status with EUROPOL. It stressed that cooperation in the field of security policy is all the more urgent since the US has decided to start exporting nuclear and other advanced technology to India again for the first time since 1998.

Regarding the Kashmir issue, Parliament welcomed the dialogue between India and Pakistan and hoped it would have a fruitful conclusion. On other issues, Parliament called on the EU, with its significant experience of regional integration, to promote regional cooperation in South East Asia. It called for dialogue with India on cross-cutting issues such as good governance, environment, industrial policy, competition issues, defence equipment, and strategic sectors such as the information society, transport, energy, biotechnology and co-operation on space-related matters.

In the light of institutional reform at the UN, Parliament supports the continuing dialogue and calls for the coordination of positions in the preparation, negotiation and implementation of major multilateral conventions in the UN.

Finally, MEPs call for the enhancement of civil society contacts and cultural relations, specifically through the establishment of an EU-India Centre for Indian Studies.