The 14th Summit between the European Union and India was held today in New Delhi, marking 55 years of diplomatic relations between the world’s two largest democracies. The European Union was represented at the Summit by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk.
India was represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini also attended.
“We are the world’s two largest democracies. We are two of the world’s biggest economies. We share the same values and the belief that freedom, equality, tolerance and the rule of law. Working together with a like-minded partner like India simply makes sense. It is natural”, said the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
“We agreed that we should take our trading relationship to the next level. It is high time for a Free Trade Agreement between India and the EU. Once the circumstances are right – and only once the circumstances are right – we will resume. Today’s Summit is an important step in the right direction and after hearing Prime Minister Modi I am confident we can move forward. Our chief negotiators will next sit down in November to chart a way forward.” The full remarks of President Juncker at the joint press conference following the Summit are available online.
The Summit provided an opportunity for leaders to take stock of EU-India cooperation across the full spectrum of our cooperation, including tackling global challenges, the economic relationship, and sectoral cooperation.
A number of substantial, concrete deliverables were agreed by the leaders at the Summit, and are detailed in a Joint Summit Statement. Joint statements on combatting terrorism; on clean energy and climate change; and on smart and sustainable urbanisation were also adopted. A full press release on the Summit outcomes is available online.
