E-Paper
India-EU forum hailed
The President of the South Asia delegation Neena Gill has hailed the launch of India-EU Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi.
The President of the South Asia Delegation and the South Asia Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) for the European Parliament, Neena Gill, hailed the launch of India-EU Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi on Saturday as a "step in the right direction.
"We are building a new future in the relationship between India and the European Parliament and this Forum is a clear step in the right direction for the world's two largest democracies to work together constructively." said Gill in a statement received by INEP in Brussels.
Gill, a British Member of the European Parliament for the Labour Party, originally hails from Ludhiana, Punjab. She would be participating in the launch from her constituency in the United Kingdom via a video link-up.
The IEUPF has been established after calls from the European Commission and the European Parliament's South Asia Delegation to enhance the links between India and the EU.
Indian MPs and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have been instrumental in founding this Forum.
The Forum will provide a Parliamentary dimension to Indo-EU relations by bringing together Parliamentarians of India and the European Union together on a single platform.
"I pledge the full support of the European Parliament's South Asia Delegation for this Forum and guarantee that we will embrace this excellent opportunity and look forward to a constructive relationship," said Gill who has been very active in pushing EU-India relations forward.
The new Forum will create a counterpoint between the 30 MPs from both the Indian houses and the European Parliament's South Asia Delegation, who will be represented by 22 full members and 20 substitute members.
"We have a lot in common, not least the 30 billion euro trade between the two sides, so it seems natural that India should focus on the EU and vise-versa," noted Gill.
Gill voiced her happiness that the Speaker of the Indian Parliament, Somnath Chatterjee, and six other Indian MPs will visit the European Parliament in July.
