New Delhi: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in India for a two-day official visit on Sunday to strengthen India-EU strategic partnership. This will be her first visit to India as the President of the European Commission. "Warm and cordial welcome to President of the @EU_Commission @vonderleyen to India. She will be the Chief Guest at @raisinadialogue starting April 25," the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) tweeted.
During her visit, European Commission Presiden will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, the energy and digital transition, connectivity, security and defence, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific will be at the centre of her conversations in Delhi.
EU-India's broad economic agenda, with a focus on the free trade agreement, Investment Protection agreement and Geographical Indications agreement will also be on the agenda. The Russia-Ukraine conflict will also feature in discussions. During the visit, the President will visit The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) campus known as TERI Gram, where she will interact with the youth on the existential challenge of climate change and the need to work together for a green, digital and resilient future.
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President von der Leyen will also deliver an address at the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and discuss with Indian and EU companies about the security of supply chains in the energy sector. The President of the European Commission has been invited as the Chief Guest for this year's edition of Raisina Dialogue and will address the inaugural session on April 25.
"India and the European Union share a vibrant Strategic Partnership which has been witnessing strong growth with wider and deeper cooperation in Political and Strategic, Trade and Commerce, Climate and Sustainability, Digital and Technology aspects as well as people-to-people ties," the MEA statement read. The India-EU Leaders' Meeting in May 2021 set new milestones with the decision to resume trade talks and the launch of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership.
In the last decade, EU-India trade in goods has increased by 41 per cent and trade in services has increased by 76 per cent. According to the official statement by the EU, trade between the two sides in goods and services in 2020 amounted to EUR96 billion. The EU is one of the largest investors in India accounting for 16 per cent of total investments received between 2015-20 (Euro 83 billion in 2000-2021). There are 4,500 European companies operating in India, contributing to the creation of over 1.5 million direct and 5 million indirect jobs in the country.
ANI
