India, EU will look at an agenda for resolution of market access issues: Astuto
_1588145292868_1588145293110_1620200697371.jpg "EU’s ambassador to India Ugo Astuto said he trusts that the forthcoming leaders' meeting will mark further progress on the decisions taken at the last summit, where Leaders decided to further strengthen and broaden the scope of cooperation and to work closer together to defend multilateralism, combatting climate change, greening economies, securing the digital future, fostering connectivity and collaborating on political and security related issues.")
Premium- Ugo Astuto, the EU’s ambassador to India, said the leaders' summit on 8 May will also have green and digital transition as twin priorities for both sides
NEW DELHI : India and the European Union (EU) have had several conversations on ways to enhance their trade and investment partnership, and recent discussions have been useful to clarify thorny issues, says Ugo Astuto, the EU’s ambassador to India. Ahead of the summit of India and EU leaders on 8 May, Astuto indicated that the leaders’ meet could give the political push required to the two sides to restart their talks on their free trade agreement. Edited excerpts from the interview:
What would be the key takeaways from the India-European leaders summit on Saturday? Will there be any political push to restart India-EU talks on the FTA? Will EU be comfortable with an investment treaty with India without a trade treaty?
MORE FROM THIS SECTIONSee All
Premium Premium India accounted for one in four Covid deaths globally last week: WHO
1 min read . 01:05 PM IST
Premium Premium Over 94 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses still available with states: Centre
1 min read . 01:00 PM ISTAt the last summit, our Leaders decided to further strengthen and broaden the scope of our cooperation and to work closer together to defend multilateralism, combatting climate change, greening our economies, securing our digital future, fostering connectivity and collaborating on political and security related issues. I trust that the forthcoming leaders' meeting will mark further progress in all these areas. For instance, the EU and India are currently preparing a joint connectivity partnership. Another major priority to be discussed will be the fight against climate change, in the run up to COP 26 (the UN climate change conference of the parties). The green and digital transition are twin priorities for both the EU and India.
In view of the leaders’ meeting, executive vice president (Valdis) Dombrovskis and minister (Piyush) Goyal have discussed on several occasions how to enhance the EU-India trade and investment relationship through a forward-looking agenda that includes the resolution of market access issues. Talks are ongoing to develop such an agenda. We will look at perspectives for ambitious, balanced and comprehensive trade and investment agreements, along with an agenda for resolution of market access issues and deeper cooperation on areas such as regulatory co-operation, secure and resilient value chains, and WTO reform. Recent discussions have been useful to clarify issues. On this basis, both sides look forward to firming up a broad package of outcomes on trade and investment for the leaders' meeting.
Have EU and India been having conversations on 5G, artificial Intelligence, etc.? If yes could you give us a flavour of the kind of discussions that have happened?
As open societies and democracies, the EU and India can work together to make sure that the digital transition takes place globally in a secure context, conducive to fair competition and in full respect of individual rights and freedoms. For instance, when it comes to data protection, the EU’s GDPR is often evoked as a relevant precedent. We have established a productive dialogue to promote possible normative convergence, as the free flow of data is in the interest of both sides. We are also about to set up a joint working group on Artificial Intelligence (AI); we advocate a similar vision, for a trustworthy, human-centred approach to AI. Cybersecurity is another shared concern, including when it comes to the roll-out of 5G. The EU has developed a “toolbox" that defines an objective process to mitigate risks and vulnerabilities, providing guidance on the criteria to be met by suppliers, to protect sensitive network assets. The EU and India regularly exchange views in this field.
The EU has been very quick to offer and mobilize support for India during covid—some of which has already come in. Is there more aid in the pipeline?
The EU and its 27 member states are trying to support India in this difficult moment, together as “Team Europe", just like India offered its support to the rest of the world in the past few months. We have discussed with Indian authorities how best we could help. Following this conversation, we have activated the EU civil protection mechanism, which can coordinate the response from member states, pooling expertise, capacities and transport.
We have received very substantial offers by many member states and the number is growing as we speak. In the past couple of days, important deliveries from Romania, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy have landed in India, bringing oxygen plants, essential equipment and antiviral medicines. Many other flights are about to arrive and several other member states are joining in this collective effort.
The first Quad summit (in March) decided to ramp up vaccine capacities in India so that covid-19 vaccines can be produced for the world to deal with the pandemic. Is the EU looking at doing something similar—maybe not necessarily in India but at a similar venture? Given that India will be now focused on its domestic needs in terms of vaccines, is EU looking to scale up production and exports so that commitments to COVAX, Africa, etc. can be met?
We are working in close contact with Indian authorities to meet the demands. As of today, the focus is on oxygen-related equipment and antiviral medicines. As to vaccines, the European Union and its member states have been among the initiators of the COVAX facility, the global initiative that funds vaccines for low and middle-income countries. Team Europe is one of its leading donors, with over €2.4 billion. India’s role in COVAX is also central as a global manufacturer of vaccines. India has led the way in donating vaccines to a vast number of countries in the past few months. The EU's approach, like India’s approach, is grounded on solidarity and transparency, while meeting domestic needs. Between January and April, more than 110 million doses of vaccines have been exported from the EU to more than 40 countries. From the outset, the EU has chosen the path of global co-operation in the fight against the pandemic.
The EU came out with its Indo-Pacific strategy recently. Could you give us the key points in this? How does the EU look at China within the ambit of its Indo-Pacific strategy—as a partner that can be engaged or as a competitor?
In many ways, the path of the future world will be set in the Indo-Pacific region, in terms of innovation, economic growth and also when it comes to the fight against climate change or the digital transition. The EU council conclusions adopted recently make it very clear: The EU regards itself as a major stakeholder in this region and wants to work with like-minded partners, notably India.
The aim of the future EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific is to contribute to regional stability, prosperity and sustainable development. The EU has decided to reinforce its strategic focus in the Indo-Pacific, based on the promotion of democracy, rule of law, human rights and international law, including UNCLOS—the UN convention on the law of the sea. These are principles and objectives that we share with India. We will further develop these convergences and work with India to foster the rules-based world order.
We have a multifaceted relationship with China, which is at the same time a negotiating partner—on issues such as climate change—a competitor and a systemic rival. The EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is consistent with this approach, as presented in the EU’s 2019 Strategic Outlook on China. We need to work with China on many pressing issues. However, we have to engage in a clear-eyed way, standing firm on our values.
Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!