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European Commission President to visit India next week; Ukraine crisis on agenda
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen will be the chief guest at the Raisina Dialogue 2022, the external affairs ministry’s premier annual conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.
The Ukraine crisis, defence cooperation, the fight against climate change and proposed agreements on bilateral trade and investment will be on the agenda for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s maiden visit to India next week, the European Union (EU) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Von der Leyen will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her two-day visit beginning on April 24. She will also be the chief guest at the Raisina Dialogue, the external affairs ministry’s premier annual conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.
The broad economic agenda, with a focus on agreements for free trade, investment protection and geographical indications, will be on the agenda for her visit, the European Union (EU) said in a statement on Tuesday. “Russia’s war against Ukraine will also feature in discussions,” the statement added.
Other issues that will be at the centre of Von der Leyen’s conversations in New Delhi include the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, energy and digital transition, connectivity, security and defence, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, according to the statement.
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Von der Leyen will open the Raisina Dialogue 2022 with her address at the inaugural session on April 25. She will highlight the potential of the EU-India strategic partnership and offer the EU perspective on current geopolitical challenges in her speech.
The visit will be an opportunity to review progress and intensify the multifaceted partnership with the EU, the external affairs ministry said. India and the EU share a vibrant strategic partnership which has witnessed “strong growth with wider and deeper cooperation in political and strategic, trade and commerce, climate and sustainability, digital and technology aspects,” it added.
This will be Von der Leyen’s first visit to India since taking over the European Commission office in December 2019. She participated in the India-EU virtual summits in 2020 and 2021, which resulted in several steps to impart greater heft to the bilateral partnership.
The 2020 summit saw the adoption of a five-year roadmap for the India-EU strategic partnership, and the leadership of the two sides agreed at last year’s summit to resume free trade negotiations that had stalled in 2013 and to begin negotiations on the investment and geographical indications agreements. The two sides also launched a new connectivity partnership.
During commerce secretary BVR Subrahmanyam’s visit to Brussels earlier this month, India and the EU decided to create basic frameworks for negotiating a comprehensive deal to raise two-way trade to more than $220 billion in five years.
Over the past decade, India-EU trade in goods increased by 41% and trade in services by 76%. Two-way trade in goods and services during 2020 amounted to €96 billion.
The EU is one of the largest investors in India, accounting for 16% of total investments received during 2015-20. The investments during 2000-2021 were worth 83 billion euros. There are 4,500 European companies operating in India, contributing to the creation of more than 1.5 million direct and five million indirect jobs.
During her visit, Von der Leyen will visit The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) campus known as TERI Gram, where she will interact with youngsters on the challenge of climate change and the need to work together for a green, digital and resilient future. She will also deliver an address at the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and discuss the security of supply chains in the energy sector with Indian and EU companies.
