Focus on trade, counterterrorism & Indo-Pacific as India-EU ramp up ties; high-level visits lined up to boost FTA talks | India News

NEW DELHI: Amid the renewed push by both sides to scale up ties, the EU will unveil its vision for a new strategic agenda with India on September 17. And as both sides intensify efforts to finalise a game-changing free trade agreement (FTA) by the year-end, the 13th round of negotiations will be held this week in Delhi, followed by the next round in Brussels in October. The EU’s vision document – which is expected to reinforce strategic partnership in areas like technology, trade, mobility and defence and security – will be a precursor to the joint strategic agenda that will be formalised at the next India-EU summit here early next year. Ahead of the summit, a series of high-level engagements have been planned to boost cooperation in areas ranging from trade to counterterrorism and the Indo-Pacific.The FTA is also expected to be formally signed at the summit. As external affairs minister S Jaishankar said last week, the India-EU FTA can help stabilise the global economy. In PM Narendra Modi’s joint call with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, both sides stressed immediate progress to achieve the agreement this year. The leaders had also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war with the EU saying India has an important role to play in bringing the war to an end. Unlike the Americans though, the EU is not looking to punish India for purchasing, or even “profiteering” from, Russian crude. Its main objective, as official sources said on condition of anonymity, is to prevent such products from reaching Europe. As Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul said last week, the purpose is to not allow Russia “detours” to slip in Russian refined crude products into Europe. On the FTA, while only 12 of the 24 chapters – including SMEs, transparency, dispute settlement and customs and trade facilitation – have been closed till now, both sides are confident a lot of ground will be covered in the next couple of rounds. To impart some urgency into the negotiations this week, European commissioners for trade and agriculture, Maroš Šefčovič and Christophe Hansen, will also visit India this week. “There has been progress in all rounds and now momentum is there to meet the year-end deadline,’’ said an official, adding there’s new thrust in the relationship and that India-EU ties are not determined by others. The next round of counterterrorism dialogue is also expected to take place again this week in Brussels. The meeting will address issues like cross-border and state sponsored terrorism, while intensifying counterterrorism cooperation through exchange of information and capacity building. India is expected to bring up the role of Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF) in carrying out the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The EU political and security committee is also expected to visit India this week. Jaishankar is also expected to visit Brussels for the EU Indo-Pacific ministerial on November 20-21, the 4th such meeting since the EU launched its Indo-Pacific strategy in 2021. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will also travel to India ahead of the India-EU summit. A meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC), an important forum for deepening cooperation in strategic technologies like reliable AI and semiconductors, is also scheduled for this fall. The meetings will focus on possible deliverables for the summit.