India and the European Union: Building a Strategic Partnership

Recognition of India’s increased stature and influence regionally and globally, greater interest in a rapidly and consistently growing economy of a billion-plus people, acquisition of nuclear weapons, steadily improving relations with the United States –all contributed to India’s admission into the elite club of nations with which the European union of nations with which the European Union is Forging a “strategic partnership” in the 21st century. Containing fifteen essays by Indian and European experts and diplomats, this volume discusses the European union’s policy towards Asia. It evaluates India-EU relations in the post-Cold War era, the impact of Indo-US relations, and the parameters and potential of the India-EU strategic partnership. This book examines the role of the EU in global economic governance, India-EU trade and economic relations, and the convergent and divergent Indian and EU positions in WTO negotiations. The study discusses the role of the European Union as a security actor, interregionalism in Asia and Europe and the relationship between the EU and SAARC. The concluding chapters examine how India and the EU are coping with the challenges in creating new identities In a globalized world and highlights the EU’s role in promoting democratization in eastern Europe. The book will be of interest to all those engaged in the fields of economics, political science, international relations, and Indian foreign policy.