EU–India Security and Defence Cooperation in the Twenty First Century: Challenges and Prospects
Excerpt
This paper assesses the threat perceptions of both the EU and India. It aims to understand the common elements shared by the two partners and how the EU-India cooperation in the areas of security and defence could bolster their strategic partnership. While the focus is admittedly more on security issues – both traditional and non-traditional – we do explore the defence dimension, including discussion on the prospect for the two sides to expand their maritime security partnership in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) –Increasing defence and military contacts between the two sides – even if it remains for the time being at the level of dialogue and sharing of information - would greatly benefit the EU-India strategic partnership, in particular at this historic juncture characterised by evolving security dynamics in the Eurasian space and growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean.