India and the European Union set up a Trade and Technology Council

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting in New Delhi.

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Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ended a two-day official visit to India on Monday 25 April, during which she focused on cooperation between the two blocs in the areas of trade, renewable energy and strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.

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With our correspondent in New Delhi

,

Sébastien Farcis

During her visit to India,

the President of the European Commission inaugurated a Trade and Technology Council between the European Union and India, the first of its kind created with an Asian country.

This Council is a coordination mechanism that will enable

India

and the European Union to strengthen their political interactions in the areas of trade, science, technology and security.

"

This will help us diversify and secure our supply chains, increase economic opportunities for our businesses and bring tremendous benefits to our citizens 

," said President von der Leyen, noting that the common goal is to conclude the three agreements quickly.

As vibrant democracies, India and the European Union share common values ​​and interests.


But our values ​​are not shared by everyone.



So let's address, jointly, the rising challenges to our open and free societies.



My address @Raisinadialogue ↓ https://t.co/6FMJdeXrW9

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 25, 2022

Until now, only

the United States

benefited from such a level of coordination with the EU.

Ursula von der Leyen also said that Brussels was keen to respect borders, even more so since the war in Ukraine, and that this also applied in the Indo-Pacific region where China threatens to seize Indian territories.

“The European Union agrees to talk about geopolitics”

These words comfort New Delhi, as explained by Harsh Pant, professor and vice-president of the Observer Research Foundation: "

 India has long criticized the European Union for not taking its strategic problems seriously, on terrorism, Pakistan or China.

This has changed, because the European Union agrees to talk about geopolitics, and has a policy on the Indo-Pacific

.

So discussions are moving faster and more pragmatically 

.”

Ursula von der Leyen also spent a day dedicated to the environment and met, among others, the leaders of the International Solar Alliance, based near New Delhi.

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  • India

  • Ursula von der Leyen

  • European Union