EU and India deepen strategic engagement in second Trade and Technology Council

The European Union and India held the second ministerial meeting of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) on 27 February in New Delhi.

The meeting was co-chaired by Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, as well as Startups, Research and Innovation Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva (pictured), representing the EU. On the Indian side, the co-chairs were External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal and Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The outcomes of the meeting follow the work of the three working groups of the TTC. On strategic technologies, digital governance and digital connectivity, the EU and India will accelerate a human-centric digital transformation, as well as the development of artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, high-performance computing and 6G. Concretely, the EU and India agreed to work towards the interoperability of digital public infrastructures (DPIs). In the field of AI, the European AI Office and the India AI Mission will deepen cooperation, for example, on large language models (LLMs) and AI for human development and common good, including through joint projects such as developing tools and frameworks for ethical and responsible AI.

On green and clean energy technologies, the two partners confirmed the good progress so far, having connected Indian and EU startups with potential partners and investors in the area of battery recycling for E-vehicles. Both partners agreed on research cooperation on marine plastic litter, waste-to-renewable hydrogen, and recycling of batteries for E-vehicles, with a joint investment of around €60 million. The EU and India also held a workshop on E-vehicle charging standards earlier in the week.

On trade, investment and resilient value chains, the EU and India agreed to enhance their cooperation on strengthening supply chains, particularly for agricultural goods, clean technology and active pharmaceutical ingredients. They also explored avenues of cooperation on the multilateral trading system, and discussed bilateral market access issues, Foreign Direct Investment screening and the implementation of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

You can find more information on the key outcomes online and in the Joint statement, which will be available soon. 

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