PM reviews India-EU ties with EU chief

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the full range of India-EU ties including economic and cultural linkages and developments in the Indo-Pacific Region in a meeting with President of European Commission Ursula von der leyen. Modi also thanked her for consenting to deliver the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue. He said that he looked forward to hearing her address later in the day. It was agreed to institute a high-level Trade and Technology Commission to provide political-level oversight of all aspects of the India-EU relationship, and to ensure coordination between different areas of cooperation, the PMO said. This council will be the first for India with any of its partners and second for the EU following the first one it has set up with the US. This strategic coordination mechanism will allow both partners to tackle challenges at the nexus of trade, trusted technology and security, and thus deepen cooperation in these fields between the EU and India, a joint statement said. The leaders agreed that as large and vibrant democratic societies, India and Europe share similar values and a commonality of perspectives on many global issues, the PMO added. They reviewed the progress in the India-EU Strategic Partnership, including the forthcoming re-commencement of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement. “The leaders had an extensive discussion on climate-related issues, including on possibilities of collaboration between India and the EU in areas like Green Hydrogen. They also discussed the continuing challenges of Covid-19 and stressed efforts to ensure equitable access to vaccines and therapeutics to all parts of the world,” the PMO said. In addition, several geo-political issues of topical importance were also discussed during the meeting, including the situation in Ukraine and “developments in the Indo-Pacific region”. “Delighted to hold talks with President of European Commission Ursula von der leyen earlier today. We reviewed the full range of India-EU ties including economic and cultural linkages,” the Prime Minister tweeted.