International Relations

KEY POINTS

Regional influence

          ·          The 13th India-EU Summit held after a gap of four years in Brussels(2016), was the spotlight of India-EU bilateral relations .

          ·          The release of the first tranche of € 200 million of the loan from the European Investment Bank for the Lucknow Metroproject was also       finalised during the Summit.

          ·          EU supports the Clean Ganga initiative to remove waste from the holy river and its banks; Ganga is the heart of India’s history, culture and   economy, and the river’s health is also vital to the country.

          ·          Grand Naine, a variety of large size banana produced using scientific-technological interventions in Tamil Nadu, is on its way to European   Markets; this paves way for opening up professional banana exports from Tamil Nadu and explores the business opportunities for India grown   banana varieties.

Global Influence

          ·           EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever is co-funding projects with the Indian government.        Every year, almost 50,000 students from India travel to 4,000 European universities.

          ·          India and the EU reaffirmed their support for the continued full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding    the Iranian nuclear issue.

          ·          India and the EU reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean and beyond. Both sides noted   the recent joint manoeuvres (PASSEX) between the EU Naval Force and the Indian Navy off the coast of Somalia, as a successful example of   naval cooperation.

          ·          EU’s approach on General Data Protection Regulation(GPDR) will help India to develop a robust framework on Cyber security laws,help to   protect people’s right to privacy.

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