Skip to content
ForumIAS Blog
  • Resources and Guides
    • Guides
      • IFoS Guide
      • Interview Preparation guide
      • Indian Polity Guide
      • Indian Economy Guide
      • Environment Guide
    • Yojana and Kurukshetra Summaries
    • Government Schemes and Program
    • Government | Bills | Acts | Laws | Regulations
    • Qrious Project
  • Current Affairs
    • Current Affairs- Main
    • Subject-Wise News
      • History News
      • Polity News
      • Economy News
      • Environment News
      • IR News
      • Society News
      • Disaster News
      • Social issues News
      • Geography News
      • Security News
      • S&T News
      • Agriculture News
    • Factly for Prelims
    • Weekly Current Affairs
      • Weekly Current Affairs Highlights
      • Weekly Current Affairs Compilations
    • Monthly Current Affairs
  • Prelims 2022
    • Prelims 2022 Study Material- Learn with ForumIAS
    • Prelims Capsules 2021
    • Prelims 2021 Material
    • Prelims Guidance
      • UPSC Booklist
      • Story of Minal Karanwal
      • How To Clear Civil Services
      • Abhishesk Surana Rank 10
    • Prelims Previous Year’s Questions
      • UPSC prelims question paper
      • Subject-wise PYQs
    • Prelims Question Bank
    • Static Material for Prelims
      • Polity Guide
      • Environment Guide
      • Economy Guide
    • Factly Current Affairs
      • All Factly Articles
      • Factly-Indian Economy
      • Factly-Environment
      • Factly-IR
      • Factly-Science and Technology
      • Factly-Bills and Acts
      • Factly-Schemes and Programs
    • Important CA Topics
  • Buy IAS Books
  • Free Daily Initiatives
    • 7PM Editorial
    • Must Read News Articles
    • 9 PM Current Affair Brief
    • Prelims Marathon
    • Mains Marathon
    • 10 PM Daily Quiz
    • Factly for UPSC Prelims
    • 9 PM Articles List
    • Factly Articles List
  • PYQs and Ques. Bank
    • Prelims/Mains PYQs
    • Mains Question Bank
      • Mains Question Bank and Answers-1
      • Mains Question Bank and Answers-2
      • Mains Question Bank and Answers-3
    • UPSC Mains PYQs- Paperwise
      • UPSC PYQs (GS-1 )
      • UPSC PYQs (GS-2)
      • UPSC PYQs (GS-3)
    • UPSC Prelims PYQs- Subjectwise
      • Ancient/Medieval History
      • Art & Culture
      • Economy
      • Environment
      • Geography
      • International Relation
      • Modern History
      • Polity
      • S&T
      • Social and Schemes
    • Prelims Question Bank
    • Indian Economy Quiz/MCQs bank
  • Interview
    • Interview – Main Page
    • Interview Process
    • Myths About Interview
    • Board Members Profile
    • Interview Transcripts
    • Common Questions
      • Hobby Based Question
      • Sports Based Question
      • State Based Question
    • Important articles
  • Downloads
    • EPIC/Factly magazine
    • Weekly Current Affairs PDF For UPSC
    • Monthly Current Affairs For UPSC PDF Download
    • Compilation of Initiatives
    • Official Answer Key
    • UPSC Syllabus
      • UPSC Prelims Syllabus
      • UPSC Mains Syllabus
    • UPSC Previous Year Papers
      • Prelims Paper
      • Mains Paper
    • Economic Survey 20-21
  • Toppers Space
    • Toppers Strategy
      • Prelims Strategy
      • Mains Strategy
      • Interview Strategy
    • Topper’s Testimonials and Test Copies
    • Motivation
      • Motivation Articles
      • Articles by Newayn
  • Others
    • Announcement
    • Contact Us
    • Careers

India – Europe: Trade and Ties

Posted on June 17th, 2017 Last modified on May 4th, 2021 CommentsViews : 624

Context:

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Europe last week to galvanise India’s ties with key European powers as well as to keep the momentum of his past visit to Europe 23

 

Background

  • The Republic of India maintains an ongoing dialogue with the supranational Institutions of the European Union which is separate from the bilateral relations with sovereign member States of the European Union.
  • India, the world’s most populous democracy, has strategic partnerships with France, the United Kingdom and Germany
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Germany, Spain, Russia and France brings into sharp focus the shared dilemma India and Europe face with America’s shifting policies, and the resultant flux on the world stage
  • Europe has been hit by a spate of terror attacks over the last two years, and the attacks in Britain have further underscored the enormity of the challenge facing the continent

 

Current Issue

  • Prime Minister touched upon key aspects of Indian foreign policy interests pertaining to each of the four nations — Germany, Russia, Spain and France.
  • Enhancing trade relations, combating terrorism and developing India-EU Partnership in the field of defense industry, global cross-border relations and environment were the prime aspect of the tour.

 

Strong Points in relations

 

Trade

  • Despite Europe’s inward-looking foreign policy orientation at the moment, several aspects of Mr. Modi’s visit stand out which will help India over the long term
  • The focus of the visit was clearly on boosting trade and economic ties with Europe
  • Mr. Modi’s unabashed selling of India as an investment destination is the most striking aspect of his outreach to the West.
  • Pledging a stable and transparent tax regime, he has been busy wooing global investors, arguing that development is “not a mere political agenda” but an “article of faith” for his government.
  • In Germany, he addressed the Indo-German Business Forum while in Spain, he exhorted CEOs of leading Spanish companies to participate in initiatives like ‘Make in India’.
  • To the Russian defense industry he sold the government’s new policy of allowing Indian companies to manufacture defense equipment with foreign players.

 

Terrorism

  • In Russia, PM Modi urged the global community to block funding, weapons and communication modes of terrorists and to rise above the ‘good terrorism/bad terrorism’ binary.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that India is facing a serious problem due to the threat of terrorism and that the situation is not an “imaginary thing”.
  • Terrorism was also a common theme in Mr. Modi’s discussions with the German, Spanish and French leaderships.
  • Unlike in the past when Europe used to look at India’s terror problem primarily through the lens of Kashmir, there is now a greater understanding of the changing nature of the terror threat and how certain states abet the process of radicalization.
  • This has provided Mr. Modi with an opportunity to develop greater synergies with Europe in tackling this problem

 

Problem Areas

  • Mr. Modi’s first stop in Germany came a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel’s strong comments aimed at President Donald Trump, that Europe could no longer ‘depend’ on traditional partners.
  • Europe’s disappointment with Mr. Trump at the G-7 and NATO summits was three-fold:
  • his refusal to reaffirm NATO’s Article 5 on ‘collective defense,
  • his warning on the trade deficit with Europe and
  • his expected decision to pull America out of commitments in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
  • For the past few months India has faced a similar disappointment as the U.S. has forged closer ties with China
  • Modi called the inclination of US towards China as loosening of the world order, while the U.S. has targeted Indian professionals and businesses to protect American jobs.
  • Another blow came from Mr. Trump’s comments on the Paris Accord when he blamed India and China for what he called an unfair deal.
  • Mr. Modi’s attendance at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to unveil a new India-Russia vision statement for the 21st century along with President Vladimir Putin could cause similar discomfort in European capitals.
  • Europe perceives its single largest threat to be from Moscow, not Beijing.

 

Future Prospects

  • European powers now want to hunker down and are looking for new partners.
  • China is well-positioned to take advantage of this shift, given its economic heft. But European liberal values sit uneasily with Chinese authoritarian capitalism.
  • India as a democratic rising power presented a subtle counter-narrative to China’s rise.
  • India under Mr. Modi presented itself as a defender of the global order: an order that has benefited India but is now under threat from Mr. Trump’s isolationist tendencies and China’s growing assertiveness.
  • With regard to Paris Agreement Modi said “The protection of the environment and the mother planet is an article of faith” and project India as a responsible global power interested in preserving the extant order.

 

Way Forward

  • Mr. Modi’s meetings with Ms. Merkel and subsequently Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and French President Emmanuel Macron saw exploring new ways to cooperate on multilateral issues, including terror, trade and climate change.
  • Mr. Modi’s assurance in Berlin that the suspended India-EU free trade talks for the Broadbased Trade and Investment Agreement would resume soon has raised the hope that progress will be made before the EU-India summit in Delhi this year.
  • The Centre must undertake a full review of India’s priorities and interests before Mr. Modi heads to Washington for a meeting with Mr. Trump at the end of June.

 

Conclusion

  • While the EU and India have a clear convergence in many areas, a dependable alliance can only come from a concurrent worldview.
  • It cannot be ignored, for example, that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Berlin and Brussels, saw the EU repose much more faith in Beijing than New Delhi would be comfortable with, given the current Sino-Indian tensions.
  • Divergent worldview may be further highlighted as Mr. Modi travels to Kazakhstan to formalize India’s membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, seen as a counter-NATO coalition of Russia, China and Central Asian states

India will have to consider its options carefully as it decides which coalitions to forge as the U.S. overturns traditional ties in favor of transactionalism

Print Friendly and PDF
Published June 17, 2017By ForumIAS
Categorized as NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL & SOCIAL

Post navigation

Previous post

India Africa relations

Next post

Amendment of Banking Regulation Act, 1949

Buy IAS Books

  1. Click here to Buy IAS Books →

Prelims 2022 Study Material

  1. Prelims 2022 Study Material- Learn with ForumIAS →

Free IAS Preparation by Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to the blog followed by several Rankholders and ensure success in IAS

Testimonials and MGP Copies

  • [Download] – Vikas Mahato IAS Rank 110 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Pragya Jat IAS Rank 91 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Utkarsh Dwivedi IAS Rank 5 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Ayush Venkat Vats IAS Rank 74 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial
  • [Download] – Naman Goyal IAS Rank 30 (UPSC CSE 2021) – MGP Test Copies + Testimonial

Most Popular Articles

  1. How to crack IAS in first attempt →
  2. Booklist for Prelims 2020 →
  3. IAS Rank 1 Anudeep D Testimony & Copies →
  4. Inspiring story of Minal, twice failed in Prelims, Now Rank 35 →
  5. Fighting Depression in Times of UPSC Preparation ( & Corona ) →

Strategy And Motivation :

  • Toppers Strategy to Clear CSE
  • Sachin Gupta Rank 3 CSE 2017
  • Rajarshi Shah Rank 81 CSE 2017
  • Life at LBSNAA
  • Rank 54 CSE 2018
  • Suman Sourav Mohanty Rank 9 CSE 2016
  • Sumit Rai Rank 54 CSE 2018
  • Political Science Optional Strategy
  • Avoid Exhausting Attempts in CSE

Preparation Guides

  • Indian Forest Service Preparation Guide
  • Myths about IAS
  • Guide : How to crack IAS without exhauting attempts
  • History | Art and Culture – Updates and News
  • Polity and governance – News and Updates
  • Environment – News and Updates
  • Economy – News and Updates
  • Agriculture – News and Updates
  • Social Issues – News and Updates
  • International Relations – News and Updates
  • Geography – News and Updates
  • Security – News and Updates
  • Disaster Management- News and Updates
  • Science & Tech. – News and Updates
About ForumIAS

ForumIAS is India’s leading Online website for UPSC IAS Exam Online Preparation and guidance. At ForumIAS, we have a dream. Our dream is to make its members achieve their IAS dream. Today thousands of aspirants have joined the elite services such as IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other central and state services with the right inputs provided by ForumIAS. Take a look at our IAS Toppers

Free IAS Online Preparation Initiatives by ForumIAS

Current affairs is the most important part of UPSC IAS exam. ForumIAS provides a detailed analysis of important news articles through its 9PM brief. In current affairs reading Editorials Online needs an in-depth focus and hence we provide a separate analysis of daily editorials which is not found in any other website. Click the following link to access these free preparation initiatives in Portal. ForumIAS also provides compilations and Free downloads for UPSC IAS preparation Knowing is never enough for IAS exam. An IAS aspirant must be engaged in answer writing practice to do well in UPSC IAS Mains Exam. ForumIAS has launched a Mains Marathon initiative for IAS mains Online answer writing. Click here to access UPSC Mains Marathon initiative. For Daily Must Read Newspaper articles, Visit Must Read Newspaper page here. Must Read Newspaper is an Initiative by Team ForumIAS to provide Current Affairs links to the Must Read Articles of The Day from Newspaper.

UPSC Syllabus

The most important part of UPSC IAS exam is its syllabus and there is a need to take an in-depth look at it. Click here to view the UPSC IAS Prelims syllabus. Visit UPSC IAS syllabus page here

UPSC IAS Study Material

ForumIAS is the repository of many toppers’ Online study materials for GS Mains and Optional subjects. The most unique thing about it is that they are handwritten by toppers themselves. Click here for UPSC sample notes

Interview Preparation for IAS

Interview is the last and crucial stage for becoming an IAS officer. How to prepare for it? We provide a solution. ForumIAS is the only online website where quality IAS interview preparations happen. Online Current affairs from an interview perspective are extensively discussed and specific preparation based on candidate’s profile and hobbies can be done. Please visit this link for UPSC Interview Preparation At ForumIAS we have an exclusive Online page to read the UPSC Interview Transcripts

Indian Forest Service (IFoS)

IFoS is one of the most sought after All India Service. ForumIAS provides the right approach to excel in this exam through their toppers who have shared their success mantras and their study materials in an elaborate manner.

About Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

IAS is considered as one of the best jobs on earth. IAS officers hold the most important positions in Central and State Governments and in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). They also represent India in international organizations. They take the most important decisions in the administration of Government policies and development programs.

About Indian Police Service (IPS)

IPS officers occupy higher positions in the State Police Departments, Central Armed Police Forces and Intelligence Agencies. Their most important responsibilities are maintenance of Law and Order and internal security.

About Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

IFS officers serve as diplomats in international missions and embassies of India around the world and in prominent international organizations like United Nations (UN), World Bank, and IMF. They work to promote India’s interests from a bilateral and a global perspective. The Study portal is a single point of online IAS preparation through its several initiatives like the Must Read News Articles, the 9 PM Brief, the Mains Marathon. If you are preparing for IAS exam online, ForumIAS is the place to go. ForumIAS is proud of ForumIAS Alumni in UPSC Service who have secured top Ranks in past 5 years.

Guides by ForumIAS

Polity | Environment | Economy | IFoS Preparation Guide | Crack IAS in first Attempt | Interview Preparation Guide

Buy IAS Books

About

  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Our Mission
  • Credits
  • Team
  • Privacy Policy

Reach Us

  • Queries: blog@forumias.academy
  • Support: helpdesk@forumias.academy
  • Enquiry: admissions@forumias.academy

Our Initiatives

  • Must Read News Articles
  • Prelims Marathon
  • Mains Marathon
  • Toppers Interview
  • Preparation Strategy
  • 9 PM BRIEF

Site Links

  • Discussion Forum
  • ForumIAS Academy
  • Blog
  • Portal ( Deprecated )
  • FAQ

Visit Us At

Forum Learning Centers

#Delhi - 19, Pusa Road, 2nd Floor, IAPL House, Opposite Metro Pillar 95-96, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110005, View Google Map Location

#Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal Rd, Patna, Bihar 800001, View Google Map Location

#Hyderabad - 1st Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020, View Google Map Location

CIN No.: U80904DL2018PTC338126 | GST No.: 07AADCF4830D1Z0

© ForumIAS Blog. Designed & Developed by Stellar Digital Pvt. Ltd.Privacy & Terms of Use