India And The European Union: Time To De-bureaucratize Strategic Partnership

摘要

At the ninth EU-India Summit which was held in Marseille in France in September 2008, both partners agreed to a revised Joint Action Plan extending the Strategic Partnership to new areas aimed at promoting peace and comprehensive security, sustainable development, research and technology, and cultural exchanges. The summit also approved a joint work programme on energy, clean development and climate change, a horizontal civil aviation agreement and the launch of a European Business and Technology Centre in India. Along with others, the summit was attended by Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, President of the European Council Nicolas Sarkozy, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Apart from bilateral EU-India issues, the leaders also discussed regional and global issues (especially the situation in Afghanistan and Myanmar, the Iranian nuclear issue, terrorism, food security, climate change, and the global financial crisis). In the sidelines of the political summit, the French Confederation of Business Enterprises also hosted an India-EU business summit.