India, EU review 2025 roadmap, agree to advance FTA talks

BRUSSELS: More than five months after their virtual summit, senior officials of India and the 27-nation European Union held a review meeting in Brussels and decided to intensify their cooperation in combating Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and accelerating global economic recovery. The 3rd India-EU Strategic Partnership Review was co-chaired by Ms. Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and Ms. Helena König, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues, European External Action Service. Building on the “India-EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025” that emanated from the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting of May 8 2021, the discussions focused on cooperation in addressing the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and contributing to the success of the upcoming Climate COP26. India and the EU also discussed next steps to operationalise the decision of Indian and EU Leaders to resume negotiations for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement and launch negotiations on a stand-alone investment protection agreement and on a separate agreement on geographical indications, said a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The two sides also discussed the next steps on the implementation of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership which was agreed at the May 2021 Leaders’ Meeting. India and the EU also discussed ways to further cooperate in the areas of research, technology and digital transformation, as well as continued implementation of the Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility.