The EU chief will be the Chief Guest at Raisina Dialogue, the foreign ministry said. (File)
New Delhi:
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in India on Sunday for a two-day official visit to strengthen India’s strategic partnership with the EU. This will be her first visit to India as President of the European Commission.
“Warm and warm welcome to the @EU_Commission Chair @vonderleyen in India. She will be the main guest at @raisinadialogue from April 25th,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) tweeted.
Warm and cordial welcome to the President of the @EU_Commission@vonderleyen to India. She will be the main guest at @raisinadialogue from April 25. pic.twitter.com/dZ0zL4V1yT
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) Apr 23, 2022
During her visit, the President of the European Commission will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, the energy and digital transition, connectivity, security and defense, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific will be at the center of her talks in Delhi.
The broad economic agenda of the EU and India, with a focus on the Free Trade Agreement, the Investment Protection Agreement and the Geographical Indications Agreement, will also be on the agenda.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is also discussed.
During the visit, the President will visit the campus of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), known as TERI Gram, where she will communicate with the youth about the existential challenge of climate change and the need to work together for a green , digital and resilient future .
President von der Leyen will also address the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and discuss the security of supply chains in the energy sector with Indian and EU companies.
The President of the European Commission has been invited as the main guest for this year’s edition of Raisina Dialogue and will address the inaugural session on 25 April.
“India and the European Union share a vibrant strategic partnership that has seen strong growth with wider and deeper cooperation in the areas of politics and strategic, trade and trade, climate and sustainability, digital and technological aspects, as well as people-to-people links,” the MEA statement read.
The India-EU leaders meeting in May 2021 marked new milestones with the decision to resume trade talks and the launch of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership.
Over the past decade, trade in goods between the EU and India has increased by 41 percent and trade in services by 76 percent. According to the EU’s official statement, trade between the two sides in goods and services amounted to €96 billion in 2020.
The EU is one of the largest investors in India, accounting for 16 percent of the total investment received between 2015-20 (€83 billion in 2000-2021).
There are 4,500 European companies operating in India, helping to create more than 1.5 million direct and 5 million indirect jobs in the country.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
