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Strategic and Strengthened partnership: Recent Initiatives in EU- India Relations

There are many predictions as to how many and which are to be the poles of this future world structure, but none seems to challenge that the EU will be an important one among them. As Dr. Jean-Luc Racine puts, "this expectation is not based solely on speculation of its potential, but is borne out by its policy moves" and there are a lot coming out of the current EU wide debate on the "future of Europe and its strategic relations"  initiated by the Nice Summit. This is evident in the recent developments in EU-India relations.

Most current reflections on the relationship between the EU and India suggest that India should be an important partner for the EU in the field of international politics and security. In Chris Patten's view, "India is naturally a key partner in security cooperation". The  importance of developing a security partnership with India and seeing it as a future trend is supported by a number of individual analysts. Hans-Joachim Kiderlen, for example, suggests that "strategic partnership becomes the name of the game, although it will take time to develop it." Martin Holmes reiterates, "What is needed is a strengthened partnership than a strategic partnership." Can these assertions be taken seriously or are they just wishful thinking?

India does not seem to want to choose which 'west' they should join. Though relations with US seem to be developing swiftly, the EU has a much better image in India, which should give it more scope for maneuverability and mediation. Moreover, India is one of the few countries with which the EU has regular summits and is developing a strategic partnership. These include the US, Canada, Russia, China and Japan. It is needless to say that the EU will continue to mean a lot to India economically as a 'trade partner, as an investor and donor of development aids'.

The recently concluded Hague Summit, on 8 November 2004, has endorsed an Agenda for Action to implement the ideas and proposals put forward by the European Commission in a communication, 'An EU-India Strategic Partnership', issued on 16 June 2004. The European Commission and the European Parliament have not only endorsed this paper but also recalls the "ambition of the European Security Strategy to move towards a strategic partnership with India, taking into account the country's role in international relations."

The highlights of the fifth Summit include the first-ever EU-India Cultural declaration, the creation of an India-EU energy panel, Indian participation in GALILEO navigation project, the Space Cooperation and the EU-India Maritime shipping agreement.

• EU-India Cultural Declaration is important as it recognizes culture as an important instrument to foster close cooperation among States and to develop a better understanding among people. The participation of European and Indian institutions and organizations in the 'EU-Economic Cross Cultural Programme' is a "significant instrument for reciprocal exchange of experiences" and for deeper understanding of their reciprocal cultural backgrounds.

• India-EU energy panel is important as this will lead to cheap and abundant power by around 2050. And the Energy Panel will, inter alia, work on the modalities of Indian participation in the ambitious International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project on fusion energy.

• GALILEO Navigation project is important as it will ensure India's equitable participation in Galileo space, ground and user segment and "will guarantee the availability of highest quality signals over the Indian territory." Considering that India has well proven capabilities in space, satellite and navigation related activities, "the agreement will provide an important positive impulse for Indian and European industrial co-operation in many high tech areas".

• The space cooperation is important as both have very mature space programmes and a "long history of working together through their respective space agencies ESA and ISRO in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space." The EU addressed its interest in the Indian unmanned lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan-1.

• The ongoing EU-India Maritime Shipping agreement is important as it will provide a legal framework for the development of maritime relations and the activities of EU and Indian shipping companies. It will also lead to regular dialogue and cooperation in areas such as safety and security, training and employment of seafarers as well as ports development.

Thus it is a good start because it is forward looking and would logically entail greater efforts in the future. Both sides are agreeable to produce non-binding guidelines for a further deepening of EU-India relations in the form of an Action Plan and a new Joint EU-India Political Declaration. Both could be endorsed at the 6th EU-India Summit in 2005.