The European Union and India Monday launched a new Trade and Technology Council.
Three working groups — on digital governance and connectivity, green tech, and trade — will start their work ahead of a ministerial meeting planned for spring 2023, the European Commission said in a statement.
“Together, we will work towards a democratic model of technological development that drives innovation and puts people at the centre,” said Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager.
Announced in April 2022, the new partnership with India comes as the EU seeks to reinforce ties with other democracies on the digital and green transitions’ strategic issues and reduce its dependence on China.
The bilateral annual political talks will be chaired on the EU side by Vestager and her fellow Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, and on the Indian side by Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, minister of external affairs; Piyush Goyal, minister of commerce and industry; and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of electronics and information technology.
India is the EU’s 10th-largest trading partner.
