– I want this visit to be the beginning of a new era. We both agree with Prime Minister Narendra Modim, we want to transfer the EU – India strategic partnership to a new level, ‘said in New Delhi Ursula von der Leyen. She announced that the EU and India would strive for a prepared new trade agreement to enter into force later this year, because “he calls for this global context”. She added that there was full agreement between her and the leader of India.
New EU trade agreement – India as early as 2025.
This would be the second great EU trade agreement with a partner from the global south, developed in recent years by Brussels. No more than in December 2024, EU negotiations with the economic block of Latin America – Mercosur ended. The contract, however, encounters the resistance of some EU countries, fearing competition for their agriculture, including France and Poland.
In turn, the heart of new relations between Europe and India are to be new technologies and trade, security and defense as well as global partnerships – the EU sees in New Delhi its key to cooperation with other south countries.
Trump announces duties, the EU “reorientation of priorities”
Speaking during a visit to the highest level in the Indian capital – where she took the entire European Commission with her – Ursula von der Leyen did not hide that Europe’s motivation is “the need for pragmatism, ambition and reorientation of priorities in the conditions of today’s reality.”
The Union is looking for new partners, because the largest of the US – the USA – lists as a competitor in the race for dominance in the area of artificial intelligence and announces that it will set Europe at the tutorial. – Let’s be honest. The European Union was created to bring the United States – this vulgar statement of the President of the USA, combined with the announcement of embraceing the European block of 25 % duties, circulated the world quickly. “But now I am the president,” Donald Trump added.
This is not the first such tyrade of the new US leader towards Europe, which tries to react restrained so that the situation does not escalate to the customs war on a full -scale. But this statement caused the reaction of both the Member States and the European Commission. And it was there that the words were said: “an instrument protecting against extortion”.
Tusk responds to the vulgar words of Trump
The Anti-CoERCON Instrument (ACI), a commercial policy tool adopted by the EU in 2023, enables her to reach a large response to adverse economic activities of other countries using, among others restrictions on access to EU markets and other trade difficulties, services, foreign direct investments or on financial markets.
– We have ACI and we will have to use it – quotes the political commissioner of agriculture Christophe Hansen, who reacted to the announcements of American duties. Also the head of the European Parliament committee for trade, the German social democrat Bernd Lange, said that the EU would not allow to persecute – neither customs nor threats to EU legislation. ”
Donald Tusk responded directly to Trump. “The EU was not created to cheat on anyone. On the contrary, it was created to maintain peace, build respect between nations, create a free and honest trade and strengthen transatlantic friendship. It’s so simple” – wrote at the 10th Polish prime minister.
Also the Prime Minister of Spanish Pedro Sanchez stated that his country “would put himself to those who attack him with dishonest duties and veiled threats on his sovereignty”, and the EU was preparing for such a situation, such as the present, “for months” and “will take strong retaliation” as a block of states.
Von der Leyen in Delhi on the economy and defense
In this international context, Ursula von der Leyen went to India and in this context she said that both Brussels and New Delhi are looking for diversification of their value chains – i.e. the artery of international trade in goods and services.
The head of the EC mentioned in this context, among others Pharmaceutical, military industry, semiconductors, batteries or pure hydrogen. She emphasized that the EU is India’s largest trading partner, and EU companies have already created 8 million jobs in this country.
In the context of the development of economic cooperation, she also mentioned artificial intelligence, high -performance calculations (HPC) – i.e. the use of supercomputers and computer clusters to solve advanced computing problems and digital public infrastructure. Von der Leyen also stated that the European Union and India are facing the “historical opportunity” to bring the India corridor – the Middle East – Europe (IMEC).
The EU supports the trade corridor with India and defense projects
The project is based on the creation by the EU, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and – at least in 2023, when this decision was made at the G20 summit – the United States – two transcontinental railway corridors from Indian ports through the Middle East to Europe. Along the railway, power line cables, data transmission, as well as pipelines will also run.
The whole initiative is to be – importantly for New Delhi, fighting in Asia for primacy with Beijing – a counterweight to the Chinese initiative of the belt and trail, with which the Chinese are expanding their political and economic influence in the world.
However, the head of the EC did not end up on the economy. She announced that the EU and India are investigating the possibilities of the future partnership in the field of security and defense – modeled on contracts binding Brussels with Japan and South Korea. The purpose of such a contract would be cooperation in combating terrorism, increasing safety on sea trade routes, defense against cyber attacks and threats to critical infrastructure. Von der Leyen also emphasized that from the EU global offer of infrastructure investments, worth EUR 300 billion Global Gateway, money could be invested, among others It is in India’s energy infrastructure and improving their connections with the rest of the world.
According to the BBC, around 6,000 in India. EU companies. Bilateral trade in 2022-2023 amounted to $ 135 billion, which means doubling within a decade. Prime Minister Modi, appearing together with the head of the Commission at the conference, stated that “Strategic partnership of Indie-EU is natural”, and at the meeting with the EC there were many decisions that are to deepen them and give it more dynamics.
Source: Gazeta
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