Walking the talk on EU-India cooperation

Relations between India and the European Union are entering a more vibrant and dynamic era marked by enhanced bilateral ties and cooperation on global challenges. Recent EU proposals for boosting the EU-India strategic partnership, warmly welcomed by Delhi, set out an ambitious and aspirational list of areas for cooperation on maritime and cybersecurity, research and innovation, clean energy, climate change, water management and urbanisation. There are plans to increase technology sharing and know-how to speed up India’s sustainable modernisation and ensure better connectivity as well as to strengthen EU-India coordination on reforming global trading rules, implementing Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The new momentum is welcome and long overdue. Moving forward will, however, require that both sides show creativity, consistency and conviction: politicians and policymakers in Brussels and Delhi will be preoccupied with domestic and electoral concerns in the first half of 2019; unfinished negotiations on a Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement continue to cast a shadow over EU-India relations; and both Brussels and Delhi will be distracted by geopolitical volatility and uncertainties.

• The EU strategy spotlights security, connectivity, clean energy and many other areas for enhanced bilateral cooperation. Which sectors should get priority as the EU and India move forward?
• How can the EU and India ensure that changing domestic and foreign policy priorities do not hijack and disrupt their plans for stronger interaction, especially in tackling global challenges?
• Given continuing difficulties in negotiating a trade and investment agreement, should both sides agree to ditch the talks and focus instead on a more focused deal on investments and services?