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Gauri Khandekar is a researcher at the Brussels School of Governance at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
On 8 May the EU-India summit took place in an unprecedented format – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined (virtually) the EU Council meeting composed of the heads of state and government of the EU’s 27 member states and the Presidents of the European Council and Commission, an arrangement previously used only for the United States.
The set-up itself signposts the importance Brussels now attaches to New Delhi, especially amidst growing frictions in EU-China relations and rising European ambitions to shape the regional architecture of the Indo-Pacific.
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European Council President Charles Michel participates in an online summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the EU summit round table meeting at the Crystal Palace. Photo by Dario Pignatelli/European Council via Reuters.
On May 8, 2021, leaders from the European Union (EU) and India met virtually in Porto, Portugal, for the EU-India Leaders’ Meeting. With an emphasis on shared interests, democratic values, and respect for human rights a controversial issue given India’s recent democratic backslide the meeting culminated in the renewal of free-trade negotiations, the start of two additional trade agreements, and a new Connectivity Partnership. This represents a significant opportunity for India as the country is one of two with which the EU has concluded such a partn
in third countries and regions, including Africa, Central Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
The EU-India Connectivity Partnership covers cooperation in the digital, energy, transport, and people-to-people sectors. It is fundamentally rooted in support for the twin digital and green transitions, adherence to and development of international standards, as well as the shared norms and values of social, environmental, economic and fiscal sustainability and level playing field.
The EU and India today represent a combined market of 1.8 billion people with a combined GDP of €16.5 trillion per year. By 2030, India will be the most populous country in the world with a median age of just 31. Studies point to growth of over 250% in India s core digital economy between 2019 and 2025.