Academic Network for European Research Related to India (ANERI)

Monitoring and assessing implications of India's economic rise for the EU and assisting in the updating  and articulation of the EU Agenda for the EU-India Relationship

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

India is changing rapidly, its democracy is more vibrant than ever, its economy is expanding strongly and it is increasingly regarded as an important international player on most global issues. It is in the EU's strong interest to seize the enormous potential of deepened relations with this emerging power while making sure that it evolves in a way conducive to better global governance.

Most analysts see India (already the world´s 4th largest economy) moving rapidly ahead and overtaking Japan in third position, on the basis of its huge and very young population (expected to overtake China and reach around 1.5 billion people in the coming decades), with the largest pool of engineers in the world, already showing in the IT and services sectors, and attracting ever larger amounts of foreign capital.

In addition, there are few major countries with which the EU has more in common in terms of fundamental values, from democracy to free press, to the respect for human rights or the firm belief in religious, ethnic and social tolerance. These shared values translate into similar or compatible views on most global challenges, from the central role of the UN and WTO on global security and governance to terrorism and environment and energy issues. In most of these areas, India and EU are natural allies.

India´s new global role has been acknowledged by all major powers and embodied in her strategic partnerships with the USA and Russia and the upswing in relations with China. They all see India as a beacon of democracy and stability surrounded by a ring of conflict-ridden (Sri Lanka, Afghanistan), authoritarian (Pakistan) or failing (Bangladesh, Nepal) neighbours. India ´s positive leadership in South Asia was recently highlighted by her rapid assistance to other affected countries after the tsunami, and the earth-quake in Kashmir.

India has increasingly asserted itself on the international stage, seeking greater presence in multilateral institutions, for example through its campaign for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. The role of the powerful Indian Diaspora (US, UK, Gulf) weighs heavily on India's foreign policy.

EU-India Relations

The combination of untapped potential and shared values was the principal rationale behind the Communication of June 2004, in which we proposed to up-grade the EU-India relationship to a truly strategic partnership between two major global players.

At the 5th Summit in The Hague in November 2004, the EU and India officially launched a Strategic Partnership. It was the culmination of an important up-swing in relations that started with the first Summit held in Lisbon in June 2000.

Political dialogue, economic cooperation and engagement of civil society have developed steadily. The Strategic Partnership, and the decision to implement its dimensions through the adoption of a comprehensive Joint Action Plan, agreed at the Summit in Delhi on 7 September, 2005, has provided the momentum to make a decisive step forward, both in content and ambition.

- Its Political chapter emphasizes areas where the EU wants to deepen political dialogue and join forces on the international stage to address global challenges. A firm commitment to pursuing dialogue on human rights, strengthened cooperation in the UN including peacekeeping, joining forces in the fight against terrorism, strengthened dialogue on migration and consular issues and reinforced parliamentary exchanges are such examples.

- Its Cultural and Academic chapter includes several actions aimed at improving mutual understanding and civil society dialogue through increased academic exchanges and setting up of EU studies centres in India and vice-versa. Boosting the cultural dimension of relations through cultural weeks, festivals and dialogue between our audio-visual industries, on the basis of the recent Cultural Declaration, are other such steps forward.

-  The Economic policy area´s objective is to put the EU and its economic operators at the heart of India´s on-going reforms, encouraging good governance. Many significant new activities are materialising : strengthened cooperation in science & technology, strengthening cooperation in the field of environment through an environment forum, a joint Initiative on Climate Change, the establishment of an EU-India Energy Panel, making information & communication technologies a priority area, conclusion of a maritime transport and civil aviation agreement, enhanced cooperation in space technology in particular through India's participation in Galileo, new emphasis on biotechnology, a Business Round Table to strengthen business cooperation, and enhancing the development partnership in order to achieve progress with the MDGs, are but some examples of the wide area covered so far.

- The Trade and Investment chapter aims at launching a new era of bilateral trade relations. The Action Plan provides for the establishment of a High Level Trade Group which would look at means to enhance two-way bilateral trade and investment flows between India and the EU. It also launches a dialogue on a number of areas, such as public procurement and public-private partnerships.

In this context it is important to underline that the EU co-operation with India is undergoing a transition from a development focus to a new approach that gives growing importance to economic reforms, good governance and policy dialogue with the EU in sectors such as energy, transport and the environment where India is bound to become a key partner for the EU and globally. In other words, the EU and India are increasingly viewed as partners of equals, enabling both to jointly face global challenges. 

The two-way flow of products and services, capital, know-how, technology, and people between the EU and India is growing rapidly in an increasingly globalised world, and any future EU Strategy towards India has to take into account the implications of this process.  

Therefore, in tandem with the wide ranging co-operation activities and policy sector dialogues envisaged by the Action Plan and the future CSP, there is a real need for cross-cutting activities which can underpin the EU's general strategy towards India. An important part of these activities would be to establish and maintain high-quality analysis on a number of topical issues. As the EU is seeking to enhance its global aspirations it should develop such an environment for high-quality policy input.

In view of this, it is of utmost importance that the EU in further defining and articulating its strategy and policies towards India with regard to among others environmental questions, energy use, business climate and enterprise regulation, is able to monitor and assess developments in India and their impact, especially on the EU. It is, therefore, proposed that a thorough analysis is made of the issues at stake and that, furthermore, developments in a number of areas are closely monitored and assessed.

To facilitate the process and make available the existing research on contemporary India, a consortium of SOGES and EIAS has been selected to establish ANERI (Academic Network for European Research related to India) which could link together the various institutions engaged in research about India.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ANERI-PROJECT 

GLOBAL OBJECTIVE
To foster closer cooperation between the scattered European research institutions and the sources of information available about contemporary India.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
Production of briefs and papers on a range of most topical issues in the EU-India relationship, to include:

The role of the Indian Diaspora in Europe and its contribution to India's development
India's emergence as an international investor: the globalisation of Indian industry
Clean Energy and Clean Environment: ensuring sustainable development patterns
India's Tourism Industry: unleashing the hidden potential of India
Indian Students in Europe: trends, constraints and prospects
EU-India co-operation in the Audio-Visual sector: bringing together European  and Indian Film Industries

To help Commission services in better defining their cooperation strategy and future policy with regard to India with the overall aim to enhance and deepen and widen the EU-India relationship.

REQUESTED SERVICES

First, a stock taking will take place of available Centres of Indian Contemporary Studies and on EU-India relations, focusing on the most relevant aspects such as economic policies;  the global impact of India's rise;  political and policy developments in India; India's policy strategy in the region, and social and cultural affairs

Second, short and well-focused papers will be produced on topical issues. On the basis of these papers the experts will participate in workshops/brainstorming sessions with staff of the EU institutions.

Third, the contractor will contribute to updating and improving the quality of the information on the RELEX website related to India and develop a website dedicated to the ANERI project.

For this purpose the project 'Academic Network for European Research related to India' (ANERI) has been launched by the European Commission. The project will be implemented by a SOGES-EIAS team.

First Workshop