India and EU will deepen strategic partnership

Subject

India-EU relationship.

Significance

During a visit to India visit last month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged renewed attempts to negotiate an India-EU free trade agreement (FTA). In recent years, Delhi and the EU have sought to strengthen bilateral relations, building on long-standing trade ties. The EU in November 2018 published a new strategy to increase strategic cooperation with India.

Impacts

• India will step up dialogue with Germany, its main link to the EU post-Brexit.
• Delhi and Brussels will increase cooperation with Tokyo to develop infrastructure in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region.
• EU-China relations will be strained, but bilateral trade will grow.