Partnership With A Difference

Mains Paper 5: International Relations
Prelims level: G20
Mains level: India and its neighborhood- relations

Context

•  Europe’s partnership with India has never been stronger. We are the world’s two largest democracies.
•  India has impressed the world over the last decades with a tremendous drive towards modernisation and sustainable development.
•  India is the world’s fastest-growing large economy, with the potential to become a global growth engine if it harnesses its full demographic potential.
•  The EU is India’s first trading partner and one of its largest sources of investment.
•  Close to 6,000 EU companies are present in India: They create good jobs for over 6 million people, and invest in the Indian people’s skills and creativity.

Key highlights of this partnership

•  Our cooperation is already making a positive difference to the lives of millions of European and Indian citizens, and our new strategy includes concrete proposals to contribute to each other’s growth, work towards sustainable modernisation, and jointly promote global peace and security.
•  We work together on climate change and clean energy — a crucial issue for India’s sustainable development and for improving the quality of life for ordinary Indians.
•  We support the Clean Ganga initiative to remove waste from the holy river and its banks.
•  With our new strategy, expanding India’s sustainable modernisation, growth can come with better services for their citizens, better public transport, a healthier environment and better services for business.
•  Indian and European researchers are already working together on pioneering projects for water conservation and on new vaccines that will prevent the next major epidemic.
•  Our Horizon 2020 programme the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever is co-funding projects with the Indian government.
•  Every year, almost 50,000 students from India travel to 4,000 European universities.
•  In recent years, India has not just become a stronger and more prosperous country.
•  India is also looking beyond its immediate neighbourhood, as a more confident global power and a reliable partner in global affairs.
•  Our cooperation on security issues is close and constant.
•  We are working together to preserve the nuclear deal with Iran, and our collaboration spans from counter-terrorism to cyber-security.

Way forward

•  Europe and India see the world with the same eyes. That’s why we are committed to coordinate even more in all multilateral frameworks including the United Nations, the G20 and the World Trade Organisation.
•  Together we can support young democracies across Asia and the world.
•  We can make multilateral institutions stronger and more representative of all peoples on our planet.
•  We can work to fight inequalities and injustice in our own societies and worldwide.
•  We can shape the century ahead of us — for two billion citizens in our countries, and for the whole world.

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General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to BRICS, consider the following statements
1. All 5 members of BRICS are members of G20
2. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was established by BRICS
3. The 8th BRICS Summit will be the first summit India will be hosting since its inception

Choose the appropriate code
a) 1 Only
b) 2 and 3 Only
c) 1, 2 and 3
d) None

Answer: A

Mains Questions:
Q.1) Discuss the importance of relationship between India and European countries.