I am in India this week as part of the European Parliament’s delegation. This delegation is the biggest thus far, showing the great interest of both sides for closer business and political cooperation. The central topics of discussion will be: the Free Trade Agreement, climate change and renewable energy, European companies in India, foreign policy, scientific cooperation and security issues. We will visit businesses and institutions in New Delhi and Chennai.
Special emphasis will also be put on seeking new business opportunities and establishing business contacts between the EU and India. The delegation will visit various institutions crucial to better cooperation. One of them is The European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC), established in New Delhi in 2008.
The purpose of establishing the EBTC was to strengthen links between businesses and science at the EU ? India level. It has offices in all major cities in India. The purpose of the Centre is primarily to address the challenges of climate change in India and also to help companies and scientific research organizations in the EU and India to seek new business opportunities and technology transfer. ?Clean technologies? now represent a major business opportunity for European companies in India. EBTC serves as the primary contact and reference point for companies that deal with these technologies. It provides special assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises – with support in the early stages of setting up. The Centre also seeks to facilitate ‘brain exchange’ between the EU and India by encouraging joint industry-driven research and increasing the mobility of foreign researchers.
An important topic of discussions of the delegation will also be the EU – India Free Trade Agreement. The EU is India’s largest trading partner. The FTA with India is one of the EU?s leading trade initiatives as part of its Global Europe strategy, which should contribute to enhancing growth and job creation in Europe. It would also be the EU?s first FTA concluded with a developing country, also being the most important.
