On Monday, 27th March 2023, in a hybrid format with experts from both Europe and India joining in-person in New Delhi (EU Delegation to India) and Brussels (Press Club Brussels Europe) as well as online, the Centre for Security Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS-VUB), the Polish Institute for International Affairs (PISM), and the EU Delegation to India jointly organized a kick-off event titled “Experts’ Roundtable: Perspectives on EU-India Cooperation in Times of Great Power Competition” in the context of the EU Policy and Outreach Partnership (EUPOP) in India.
The event was opened by Dr. Giulia Tercovich, EUPOP Project Coordinator for Research Outreach, with welcoming remarks from Maria Rosa Sabbatelli, Deputy Head of Unit, Rapid Response Europe, Asia and Americas, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, European Commission. The event then proceeded to the first panel discussion moderated by Patryk Kugiel from the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). The panelists included Dr. Eva Pejsova from the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (BSoG-VUB) and Dr. Gulshan Sachdeva from the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for EU Studies in India at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). This panel focused on re-examining EU-India cooperation amidst great power competition, and the speakers discussed the key components of the EU-India Strategic Partnership, how it has been strengthened in recent years, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the relationship between the EU and India.
The second panel of the day was moderated by Dr. Giulia Tercovich. It focused on leveraging EU-India cooperation through specific policies and the speakers included Ankita Dutta from the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Ajay Shah from XKDR Forum, Kritika Krishnamurthy from Bridge Policy Think Tank and Pavan Ananth from Pravesh Global Consulting. The panelists discussed how the EU and India can collaborate to strengthen the international rules-based order, how they can collaborate on health, how to address the disinformation threat coming from Russia and China, and how to work together when it comes to digital governance.
The event concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Giulia Tercovich, who emphasized the importance of collaboration between the EU and India to ensure global stability and prosperity. Ultimately, this event provided a great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics within EU-India relations.
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This kick-off event forms part of the EU Policy and Outreach Partnership (EUPOP) in India, an initiative that is financially supported by the European Union.
