Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

India-EU Joint Statement

1. The Eleventh European Union - India Summit was held in Brussels on 10 December 2010. The Republic of India was represented by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. EU was represented by Mr Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and Mr. Jose Manuel Dur�o Barroso, President of the European Commission.

2. Leaders emphasised that EU and India, which share common values relating to democracy, rule of law, civil liberties and respect for human rights, agreed to reinforce their strategic partnership for their mutual benefit in all areas and to better contribute to the resolution of the challenges of the twenty first century. They discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest and concern. In the context of overall EU-Indian interaction, leaders noted India's development priorities as well as the new dimension of EU, following the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

Bilateral issues

3. Recognising the value of an ambitious and balanced Broad Based Trade and Investment Agreement, which will bring significant economic benefits to both sides and further strengthen the bilateral economic relationship, leaders welcomed the significant progress recorded during recent negotiations, agreed on the contours of a final package, and reaffirmed the importance of an ambitious and balanced conclusion in the spring of 2011

4. They welcomed the business summit held in the margins of the summit and agreed that enhanced cooperation between business organizations from EU and India would greatly benefit their respective companies and improve opportunities for cooperation.

5. Leaders welcomed increasing cooperation in the field of security and defence. They agreed to pursue EU-India dialogue and cooperation in this area, including in the context of counter-piracy naval operations and more broadly in support of the UNSC resolutions.

6. EU and India condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their united stance in combating threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts wherever they take place. Leaders welcomed the EU-India Joint Declaration on International Terrorism.

7. Building on the 2008 EU-India Joint Work Programme on Energy, Clean Development and Climate Change, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation in these fields, with a view to enhancing energy, security energy efficiency and promoting the development of renewable energy. They agreed that the results of the Joint Work Programme should be presented at the 12th India-European Union Summit. Lastly, leaders looked forward to the early conclusion of the EU-India Agreement for Research and Development Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.

8. EU and India expressed satisfaction with recent progress in negotiations on a maritime transport agreement and called for the continuation of the negotiations aiming at the conclusion of a mutually beneficial agreement. They also called for the early implementation of the civil aviation agreement.

9. In the field of space, the leaders acknowledged the active cooperation pursued by space agencies and industries of the two sides for developing, launching and operating Earth Observation and Communication Satellites through appropriate bilateral relations. The leaders welcomed the recent formation of ISO-ESA Joint Working Group on Earth Observation to concretize the cooperation areas.

10. They committed to a swift finalisation of the agreement on satellite navigation initialled in 2005 and earnestly work toward a technical agreement on the use of the frequency spectrum.

11. Recognising the important implications of the movement of people for India and EU, they agreed to explore initiatives that could lead to a regular, comprehensive and structured dialogue on migration issues, with a view to deepening cooperation in this field.

12. Both sides reiterated their joint commitment to the MDGs, with an emphasis on health and education and a special focus on vocational training. In this context, EU and India will sign the next joint development cooperation strategy (Multi-Annual Indicative Programme 2011-13).

13: Both sides welcomed the new dynamic India-EU and Member States research and innovation partnership for more coordinated cooperation to tackle major societal challenges. The leaders agreed that cooperation partnership dialogues should be pursued so as to make a contribution to the objectives set out in the India's Decade of Innovation and the Europe 2010 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union.

14. EU and India signed a Joint Declaration on Culture.

15. EU and India will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Statistics.

Regional issues

16. EU and India reiterated their common interest in a stable, peaceful and inclusive Afghanistan free from terrorism, as well as their support to the Kabul Process building upon broad international partnership towards further Afghan responsibility and ownership in security, governance and development. They also underlined the need for more effective regional cooperation for the stabilisation of Afghanistan and expressed their continued commitment to an ongoing dialogue to this end. The leaders agreed that terrorism must be combated firmly and expressed concern at the continuing existence of safe havens, including in the cross border dimension.

17. They acknowledged their respective humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, voiced a shared hope for a speedy recovery, and emphasised that a democratic and prosperous Pakistan was in the interest of the entire region. They called upon Pakistan to expeditiously bring all the perpetrators, authors and accomplices of the Mumbai attacks to justice.

18. EU and India exchanged views on regional integration and agreed to continue efforts to enhance cooperation in the context of SAARC and other fora, as well as between SAARC and EU. Leaders recognized that closer regional cooperation is crucial for the development of South Asia.

Global issues

19. Leaders reviewed recent developments aimed at reinforcing global economic governance in particular in the G20 context.

In this regard they welcomed the agreement on the IMF reform reached at Seoul which will strengthen the legitimacy of the IMF and will increase the involvement of emerging economies in global economic governance.

Leaders welcomed the commitments made at the G20 Seoul Summit to promptly bring the Doha Development Round to an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced conclusion in 2011, consistent with the mandate of the Doha Development Round and built on the progress already achieved. They also reaffirmed their commitment to resist all forms of protectionist measures.

Leaders also reaffirmed their determination to contribute positively to address the issue of global imbalances. In this respect they welcomed the agreement reached in Seoul on a process that will set the base for closer coordination and assessing on imbalances at the global level and they called on the G20 to make rapid progress in the course of 2011 on the implementation of this process.

20. In the context of the process of negotiations on Climate Change, EU and India voiced their firm resolve to continue working for an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced post 2012 agreement as soon as possible based on the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change In parallel, EU and India are committed to further develop their bilateral cooperation and policy dialogue in this field. In particular, EU is ready to cooperate with India in implementing its National Action Plan on Climate Change.

21. EU and India reaffirmed their commitment to global and non-discriminatory disarmament and to preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. Leaders pledged closer cooperation aimed at providing a robust nuclear non-proliferation regime and, in particular, looked forward to a prompt commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament. They reaffirmed their commitment to diplomacy to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue and expressed the need for Iran to take constructive and immediate steps to meet its obligations to the IAEA and the UN Security Council.