EU Focus on Improving Relations with India: The European Parliament is due to vote on a set of recommendations next Thursday on improving relations with India ahead of the EU-India summit in Porto in Portugal on May 8. The summit is now due to be held virtually. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the EU says bilateral relations have not yet reached their full potential and require increased political engagement. The text also highlights “India’s rising regional and geopolitical influence, as the country has strengthened its position as an economic and military power, and grown rapidly as an important trading partner for the EU.” The parliament will debate the draft a day earlier on Wednesday.
EU Parliament to Vote on Law against Online Terrorism Content: The European Parliament is due to vote on a critical law next week that will give Internet platforms just one hour to remove content that backs terrorism. The platforms will be required to disable access to such content in all EU states once flagged. The offences will cover content offering knowhow on making and using bombs, firearms and other weapons for terrorist purposes. It will not all stop at removal of such content – the police are sure to get after those who post such content.
Modi-Boris Virtual Meet on April 26 Confirmed: The meeting due between the Prime Ministers of India and Britain will go ahead on Monday, April 26, though virtually, in place of a meeting in New Delhi now called off. That will kick off a series of other meetings intended to build up to that is being billed as Roadmap 2030 to step up trade and political ties between India and Britain. The agreement had been finalised in February of this year. The two prime ministers are now due to give it a further push.
PM Modi’s June UK Visit in Doubt: After Prime Minister Modi cancelled his visit to Portugal next month for an India-EU summit, along with a planned visit to France later, uncertainty has arisen now whether he will visit the UK in June to attend the G7 summit to which India has been invited. That would of course come only if all has returned to normalcy by June. Virus cases have been known to come down fairy early at places after a rapid rise. But the present Indian wave is particularly ferocious. Difficulties that arise following such a severe wave may not all have receded by June.
Indian Firms Proliferate in Britain Despite Pandemic: Indian companies expanded their presence in Britain despite the Covid crisis, a new report prepared by the company Grant Thornton in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) suggests. The “tracker” lists 850 Indian companies now operating in Britain compared to 842 in 2020, and now employing 116,046 people, up from 110,793 in a year. These companies had a collective turnover of 50.8 billion pounds, up from 41.2 billion pounds, the report claims.
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