The EU and India : common interests, divergent policies

Abstract

2013 marks 50 years of India-EU relations. Most of this period witnessed cordial but largely unsubstantial relations. It was only a decade ago that relations took a leap forward, when the EU and India launched a Strategic Partnership. The Partnership promised a radical shift in relations that could have impacted the geopolitics of South and West Asia, but failed to take off as conceived. While India and the EU have created a web of engagement, especially in development, science and technology, cooperation on multilateral issues has been limited; moreover, their partnership has suffered a number of setbacks. Today the partnership stands at a crossroad. It can either chug along its path of growth in bilateral relations, or it can work for greater policy convergence on critical multilateral, regional and international issues. This paper examines the prospects for the latter.