EU-INDIA Think Tanks Annual conference EU and India: Partners in shaping global affairs
Annual Conference of Think Tanks to discuss
New Delhi 07 January 2019:
The Delegation of the European Union to India is bringing together leading think tanks from India and the European Union to discuss EU-India relations and further opportunities for enhanced cooperation against the background of the closer partnership in recent years, the new EU Strategy on India and current geo-political environment.
The conference "EU and India: Partners in shaping global affairs" on 8 January in Delhi seeks to identify priority areas for strengthening the EU-India strategic partnership, with a focus on foreign policy and security issues. The event is held alongside the Raisina Dialogue with participation of senior researchers and experts from the EU and India, and representatives of EU Member States in India and senior officials from the EU institutions in Brussels.
The Ambassador of the European Union to India, H. E. Mr Tomasz Kozlowski, said, “We look forward to this annual event as a forum for exchange of ideas amongst leading researchers and experts from the EU and India to feed into the policy debate on topics of mutual interest. This conference will help us identify next steps for enhanced cooperation in an increasingly dynamic world.” The EU Ambassador will deliver the opening remarks along with the President of Observer Research Foundation (ORF),Mr. Samir Saran.
Mr. Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia & the Pacific, European External Action Service (EEAS), and Ambassador Bhaswati Mukherjee will discuss the EU’s new Strategy on India. Further discussions amongst senior European and Indian experts and researchers will focus on ‘Taking forward the EU-India Strategic Partnership’, ‘Connectivity in Eurasia’and on ‘The EU and India getting ready to shape the future in the context of global political trends.’
Participants will be representatives from Indian and European think tanks and institutions: Brookings India; Carnegie India; Centre for International Relations, Warsaw; Chatham House, UK; Clingendael Institute, Netherlands; European Union Institute for Security Studies, Brussels; Friends of Europe, Brussels; Gateway House, Mumbai; Global Policy Institute, London; Global Public Policy Institute, Berlin; Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi; Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi; Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Manipal Academy of Higher Education; Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi; Polish Institute of International Affairs, Warsaw; Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Berlin; and Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Stockholm.
EU-India Think Tanks Twinning Initiative (TTTI):The initiative started in 2015 under the EU-funded public diplomacy project to promote better understanding and stimulating joint research between Indian and EU Think Tanks with a view to foster knowledge and research on the expanding EU-India strategic partnership.
Five consortia of European and Indian Think Tanks were selected under the 2017-2019 round of the initiative to prepare and discuss three consecutive joint research papers. In the first round the following papers were finalized:
- Charting EU-India Cooperation on Connectivity (by Carnegie India and Global Public Policy Institute)
- European and Indian Perceptions of the Belt and Road Initiative (by Global Policy Institute and Jawaharlal Nehru University)
- China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): India’s and EU’s Perspectives (by Manipal Academy of Higher Education and Centre for International Relations Poland)
- East Africa, India And Europe: Norms To Enhance Indian Ocean Commerce (by Observer Research Foundation, Chatham House and European Institute for Security Studies)
Managing Connectivity Conflict: EU-India Cooperation and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (by Clingendael Institute and Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses).
Main recommendations will be presented at the event and full research papers will be made available on http://euindiathinktanks.in/.
EU-India relations
Over 55 years the EU and India have worked together to reduce poverty, prevent disasters, expand trade, secure global public goods, enhance security around the world and promote joint research in energy, health, agriculture and many other fields of mutual interest. The new EU Strategy on India, released on 20 November 2018 highlights modernisation, climate change, trade & investment andinnovationas key areas of partnership and enhanced cooperation with India.
More information at: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/india
For press enquiries:
Poonam Kapila-Poonam.kapila@eeas.europa.eu +91 9910822339