Ambassador of European Union to India Ugo Astuto talks to WION about how important India is for EU.

Ambassador of European Union to India talks to WION about how important India is for EU

European Union’s Envoy to India Ugo Astuto talks about the challenges regarding climate change and why we need to act now.

Wion Climate Summit: ‘Don’t have the luxury…’: Ugo Astuto on climate change

On the sidelines of WION Climate Summit, Ugo Astuto, the European Union's envoy to India talked about what to look forward to at COP27 in Egypt.

WION Climate Summit: Ugo Astuto, EU's envoy to India highlights what to expect at COP27 in Egypt

Calling India-EU Leadership summit of May 8 a "turning point" in ties, the European Union's envoy to India, Ugo Astuto, said, "We want to work together so that we can shape the global agenda".

This is the second time this format of one world leader and all 27 EU member states meet happened. The first was with US President Joe Biden&nbsp;in March this year.&nbsp;

Speaking to WION's Sidhant Sibal, envoy Astuto spoke about the connectivity partnership, a key outcome of the summit saying, "connectivity" should be "grounded in principles such as sustainability... transparency."

The other key outcome of the summit was that both sides decided to resume talks on India-EU free trade agreement.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-daily-covid-19-cases-fall-positivity-rate-remains-high-384369" hreflang="en">India's daily COVID-19 cases fall; positivity rate remains high</a>

On Indo-Pacific, the envoy said the bloc's strategy is "close to the Indian vision" and "India is clearly a key player" in the region.

In April, the European Council approved conclusions on the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy.

He also spoke on the EU's assistance to India amid the covid crisis, with flights from Finland, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal, Malta expected to come to India soon.

WION: According to you, what is the key outcome of the India-EU leadership summit and&nbsp;how will it increase the ties at a time the world is changing fast? 
Ugo Astuto: It has been an extremely successful meeting. It has been described as a turning point and a historic meeting. I think it's a fair assessment. What we have seen is a clear indication —&nbsp;the intention of both sides to work for change in our strategic partnership. The meeting has taken place against the backdrop of this major crisis of covid. So, what emerged is a clear message of solidarity from the EU and its member states vis-a-vis India in difficult times. There is an understanding that as an international community we all need to work together if we want to address the emergency.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-not-to-attend-g7-meeting-in-uk-due-to-covid-crisis-384351" hreflang="en">PM Modi not to attend G7 meeting in UK due to Covid crisis</a>

India has been leading by supporting the rest of the world since the outset of the emergency&nbsp;by exporting medicines and vaccines. We are trying to help India as much as we can and that is why we have set up this operation within the civil protection mechanism. So, a strong message of solidarity&nbsp;and intention to bring the world together to overcome this crisis and then a number of very concrete outcomes. We also took a&nbsp;decision to resume negotiations on the free trade agreement, on investment agreement and&nbsp;on a geographical indication agreement.

We have set the ground for a broad and ambitious economic agenda. We have also established a working group to deal with very topical issues such as reforms in WTO, resilient supply chain, and we want to discuss market access issues. We have agreed on a connectivity partnership which, I believe, is an important platform grounded in our common belief in a rules-based system of international governance, cooperative approach to international relations.

There was a clear message from the meeting that we want to work together in addressing global challenges such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity and digital transition. The twin priorities of the greening of our economies and digital transition — these are priorities that are shared by the EU and India. We want to work together so that we can shape the global agenda in a way that is conducive to the pursuit of global common goods. These are some highlights and a number of issues that came up

WION: In terms of FTA, the resumption of talks has been since it has been announced. What next? Are we looking at some timeline, when it can be concluded? 
Ugo Astuto: These are complex negotiations but what we have taken is the decision to resume the talks, the formal negotiations, and at the last summit in 2020, we had a high-level dialogue chaired by minister Goyal from the Indian side, on the European side by the executive vice president. This dialogue has proved to be very effective. The positive outcome at the summit was also driven by the good work done at the political level and working level. So we want to continue to use this dialogue, a structured mechanism put in place since last year.

WION: Connectivity partnership is another key focus area. What kind of practical cooperation can be seen? 
Ugo Astuto: It is an interesting document; it sets the principles, first and foremost. India and the EU come together because we believe in connectivity that is grounded in principles such as sustainability, fiscal sustainability, social sustainability, environmental sustainability, also transparency. We believe in a level playing field for this. We are open market economies, so want the private sector to play a key role in the implementation of projects related to infrastructure. The documents set in place, some principles which are shared,&nbsp;identify dimensions where we can work together for better connectivity, energy, transport, digital connectivity, and people to people connectivity. These are important areas where we can work together in the region and beyond.

For example, the European Investment Bank (EIB), in past few years in India, has been contributing to the development of sustainable mobility by investing in a number of metro systems. The day before the leader's summit, EIB signed a number of additional contracts for Kanpur and Pune metro. We have several instruments that we want to use and connectivity partnership sets the ground for the efficient use of these tools.

WION: Indian PM mentioned covid vaccine patent waiver and&nbsp;EU leadership has also talked about it. Can we expect some major movement coming from Brussels? 
Ugo Astuto: We are ready to discuss it, it's a very serious issue. Our priority is to figure out how to ramp up the production of vaccines worldwide and how to make this vaccine available at an affordable price. That is why the EU has been leading in the creation of the COVAX initiative and we are among the largest contributors. We believe it is important to increase production and avoid measures that may disrupt the supply chain. We have also, like India,&nbsp;been exporting vaccines. More or less many vaccines have been exported, as used domestically — around 200 million doses. India has also been leading the way, exporting to neighbors and beyond. We start from the same proposition that we want a response by the international community to the crisis which is based on solidarity and which pursues a global common good.

WION:&nbsp;How do both sides plan to engage on Indo pacific? 
Ugo Astuto: You are familiar with the council conclusions adopted a couple of weeks ago. The council's conclusions make it clear that the EU is a stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific. We want to shape a strategy for the Indo-Pacific, which we believe is close to the Indian vision. What are the objectives of the strategy, the strategy wants the EU to contribute to the region which is prosperous and stable and where international law is respected, including the law of the seas. We believe in a rules-based system of international governance. We believe international communities are best served when international law is respected. These are principles and values shared by India. Based on these agreed&nbsp;principles, I think there is wide scope for cooperation between the EU and India in the region. India is clearly a key player in the Indo pacific. It has been an active player and has been developing its own vision and there are obvious convergences and space for the EU and India to work together.

WION:&nbsp;Can you update us on the current situation when it comes to assistance to India? 
Ugo Astuto: We have additional member states joining in. Flights will be coming from Finland, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal and Malta. The list gets longer every day;&nbsp;it a massive joint effort by all 27 member states coordinated by the EU civil protection mechanism and everyday planes landing. It is a concrete testimony&nbsp;to the fact that we have a strong partnership between the EU and India which I am sure will emerge stronger from this crisis. We have been helping each other as much as we could.&nbsp;

Calling India-EU Leadership summit of May 8 a "turning point" in ties, the European Union's envoy to India, Ugo Astuto, said, "We want to work together so that we can shape the global agenda".

Calling India-EU Leadership summit of May 8 a "turning point" in ties, the European Union's envoy to India, Ugo Astuto, said, "We want to work together so that we can shape the global agenda". This is the second time this format of one world leader and all 27 EU member states meet happened. The first was with US President Joe Biden in March this year. Speaking to WION's Sidhant Sibal, envoy Astuto spoke about the connectivity partnership, a key outcome of the summit saying, "connectivity" should be "grounded in principles such as sustainability... transparency." The other key outcome of the summit was that both sides decided to resume talks on India-EU free trade agreement. Also read | India's daily COVID-19 cases fall; positivity rate remains high On Indo-Pacific, the envoy said the bloc's strategy is "close to the Indian vision" and "India is clearly a key player" in the region. In April, the European Council approved conclusions on the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy. He also spoke on the EU's assistance to India amid the covid crisis, with flights from Finland, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal, Malta expected to come to India soon. WION: According to you, what is the key outcome of the India-EU leadership summit and how will it increase the ties at a time the world is changing fast? Ugo Astuto: It has been an extremely successful meeting. It has been described as a turning point and a historic meeting. I think it's a fair assessment. What we have seen is a clear indication — the intention of both sides to work for change in our strategic partnership. The meeting has taken place against the backdrop of this major crisis of covid. So, what emerged is a clear message of solidarity from the EU and its member states vis-a-vis India in difficult times. There is an understanding that as an international community we all need to work together if we want to address the emergency. Also read | PM Modi not to attend G7 meeting in UK due to Covid crisis India has been leading by supporting the rest of the world since the outset of the emergency by exporting medicines and vaccines. We are trying to help India as much as we can and that is why we have set up this operation within the civil protection mechanism. So, a strong message of solidarity and intention to bring the world together to overcome this crisis and then a number of very concrete outcomes. We also took a decision to resume negotiations on the free trade agreement, on investment agreement and on a geographical indication agreement. We have set the ground for a broad and ambitious economic agenda. We have also established a working group to deal with very topical issues such as reforms in WTO, resilient supply chain, and we want to discuss market access issues. We have agreed on a connectivity partnership which, I believe, is an important platform grounded in our common belief in a rules-based system of international governance, cooperative approach to international relations. There was a clear message from the meeting that we want to work together in addressing global challenges such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity and digital transition. The twin priorities of the greening of our economies and digital transition — these are priorities that are shared by the EU and India. We want to work together so that we can shape the global agenda in a way that is conducive to the pursuit of global common goods. These are some highlights and a number of issues that came up WION: In terms of FTA, the resumption of talks has been since it has been announced. What next? Are we looking at some timeline, when it can be concluded? Ugo Astuto: These are complex negotiations but what we have taken is the decision to resume the talks, the formal negotiations, and at the last summit in 2020, we had a high-level dialogue chaired by minister Goyal from the Indian side, on the European side by the executive vice president. This dialogue has proved to be very effective. The positive outcome at the summit was also driven by the good work done at the political level and working level. So we want to continue to use this dialogue, a structured mechanism put in place since last year. WION: Connectivity partnership is another key focus area. What kind of practical cooperation can be seen? Ugo Astuto: It is an interesting document; it sets the principles, first and foremost. India and the EU come together because we believe in connectivity that is grounded in principles such as sustainability, fiscal sustainability, social sustainability, environmental sustainability, also transparency. We believe in a level playing field for this. We are open market economies, so want the private sector to play a key role in the implementation of projects related to infrastructure. The documents set in place, some principles which are shared, identify dimensions where we can work together for better connectivity, energy, transport, digital connectivity, and people to people connectivity. These are important areas where we can work together in the region and beyond. For example, the European Investment Bank (EIB), in past few years in India, has been contributing to the development of sustainable mobility by investing in a number of metro systems. The day before the leader's summit, EIB signed a number of additional contracts for Kanpur and Pune metro. We have several instruments that we want to use and connectivity partnership sets the ground for the efficient use of these tools. WION: Indian PM mentioned covid vaccine patent waiver and EU leadership has also talked about it. Can we expect some major movement coming from Brussels? Ugo Astuto: We are ready to discuss it, it's a very serious issue. Our priority is to figure out how to ramp up the production of vaccines worldwide and how to make this vaccine available at an affordable price. That is why the EU has been leading in the creation of the COVAX initiative and we are among the largest contributors. We believe it is important to increase production and avoid measures that may disrupt the supply chain. We have also, like India, been exporting vaccines. More or less many vaccines have been exported, as used domestically — around 200 million doses. India has also been leading the way, exporting to neighbors and beyond. We start from the same proposition that we want a response by the international community to the crisis which is based on solidarity and which pursues a global common good. WION: How do both sides plan to engage on Indo pacific? Ugo Astuto: You are familiar with the council conclusions adopted a couple of weeks ago. The council's conclusions make it clear that the EU is a stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific. We want to shape a strategy for the Indo-Pacific, which we believe is close to the Indian vision. What are the objectives of the strategy, the strategy wants the EU to contribute to the region which is prosperous and stable and where international law is respected, including the law of the seas. We believe in a rules-based system of international governance. We believe international communities are best served when international law is respected. These are principles and values shared by India. Based on these agreed principles, I think there is wide scope for cooperation between the EU and India in the region. India is clearly a key player in the Indo pacific. It has been an active player and has been developing its own vision and there are obvious convergences and space for the EU and India to work together. WION: Can you update us on the current situation when it comes to assistance to India? Ugo Astuto: We have additional member states joining in. Flights will be coming from Finland, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal and Malta. The list gets longer every day; it a massive joint effort by all 27 member states coordinated by the EU civil protection mechanism and everyday planes landing. It is a concrete testimony to the fact that we have a strong partnership between the EU and India which I am sure will emerge stronger from this crisis. We have been helping each other as much as we could.

India, EU leadership summit 'turning point' in ties, says EU envoy Ugo Astuto

Calling India, EU Leadership summit of 8th May a "turning point" in ties, the European Union's envoy to India Ugo Astuto has said, "we want to work together so that we can shape the global agenda". This is the 2nd time this format of one world leader and all 27 EU member states meet happened, the first was with US President in March this year.

India, EU leadership summit 'turning point' in ties says EU envoy Ugo Astuto

The European Council on Monday approved and released the European Union strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which aims for 'regional stability, security, prosperity, and sustainable development' at a time of 'rising challenges and tensions in the region'. EU joins blocks like ASEAN, which has its own outlook on the 'Indo-Pacific' vision, strongly backed by Washington and New Delhi. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The council in its 'conclusion' statement said, "The EU intends to reinforce its role as a cooperative partner in the Indo-Pacific, bringing added-value to relations with all its partners in the region". The policy calls for developing partnerships in the areas of security and defence, including addressing maritime security, malicious cyber activities, disinformation, emerging technologies, terrorism, and organised crime. &nbsp;

EU sees, Indo-Pacific as a region spanning from the east coast of Africa to the Pacific island states, a region that has the world's two most populous countries, which are also huge economies, India and China. The EU strategy comes days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Portugal for the India EU summit. &nbsp;

Speaking to WION, EU's envoy to India Ugo Astuto pointed to Brussel's strong commitment to the region while reaffirming ties with New Delhi.

He said the "EU and its member states have a broad relationship with partners in the Indo-Pacific, notably India", adding "the Council Conclusions adopted today strongly emphasise the EU’s commitment to the region with the aim of contributing to its stability, security, and sustainable development." &nbsp;

He explained, "The EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy is grounded on the values of democracy, rule of law, human rights and international law. The EU joins other partners who have declared Indo-Pacific approaches, with a view to strengthen synergies in the region towards the pursuit of global common goods." &nbsp;

EU joins countries like France, Germany and Netherlands in the bloc&nbsp;to issue strategies on Indo-Pacific. Last week, France joined India's IPOI (Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative) last week. Trilaterals like India, Australia and France have been focusing on increasing engagement under the vision.&nbsp;

The European Council on Monday approved and released the European Union strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which aims for 'regional stability, security, prosperity, and sustainable development' at a time of 'rising challenges and tensions in the region'.

The European Council on Monday approved and released the European Union strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which aims for 'regional stability, security, prosperity, and sustainable development' at a time of 'rising challenges and tensions in the region'. EU joins blocks like ASEAN, which has its own outlook on the 'Indo-Pacific' vision, strongly backed by Washington and New Delhi. The council in its 'conclusion' statement said, "The EU intends to reinforce its role as a cooperative partner in the Indo-Pacific, bringing added-value to relations with all its partners in the region". The policy calls for developing partnerships in the areas of security and defence, including addressing maritime security, malicious cyber activities, disinformation, emerging technologies, terrorism, and organised crime. EU sees, Indo-Pacific as a region spanning from the east coast of Africa to the Pacific island states, a region that has the world's two most populous countries, which are also huge economies, India and China. The EU strategy comes days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Portugal for the India EU summit. Speaking to WION, EU's envoy to India Ugo Astuto pointed to Brussel's strong commitment to the region while reaffirming ties with New Delhi. He said the "EU and its member states have a broad relationship with partners in the Indo-Pacific, notably India", adding "the Council Conclusions adopted today strongly emphasise the EU’s commitment to the region with the aim of contributing to its stability, security, and sustainable development." He explained, "The EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy is grounded on the values of democracy, rule of law, human rights and international law. The EU joins other partners who have declared Indo-Pacific approaches, with a view to strengthen synergies in the region towards the pursuit of global common goods." EU joins countries like France, Germany and Netherlands in the bloc to issue strategies on Indo-Pacific. Last week, France joined India's IPOI (Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative) last week. Trilaterals like India, Australia and France have been focusing on increasing engagement under the vision.

EU releases Indo-Pacific strategy; envoy Ugo reaffirms ties with India

EU envoy to India, Ugo Astuto has spoken exclusively to WION after the 2-day visit to J&K. He said the EU has taken note of the recent steps that have been taken by the Indian government, such as election at the district level and resumption of 4G internet services

Jammu & Kashmir: We have taken note of recent steps taken, says EU envoy

The European Union envoy to India Ugo Astuto has spoken exclusively to WION post the 2-day visit of 24 foreign envoys to Jammu & Kashmir. Astuto has termed his visit to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir an "opportunity" to see the "situation on the ground" and during his interaction taken note of the recent district development council (DDC) elections and resumption of the 4G high-speed internet.

Exclusive: J&K visit an opportunity to see ground situation: EU Envoy

European Union envoy to India Ugo Astuto has termed his visit to union territory of Jammu and Kashmir an 'opportunity' to see the 'situation on the ground' and during his interaction taken note of the recent district development council (DDC) elections and resumption of the 4G high-speed internet.&nbsp;

EU envoy speaking to WION said, "In our interaction, we have taken note of recent steps taken, such as the election of the district development council, the resumption of 4G internet services. It is very important obviously, right to freedom of expression online and offline is a key-value for all democracies."&nbsp;

Adding, "We have also noted with great expectations as to other important steps to be taken in the political and economic sphere including the early organization of legislative assembly elections. Overall, the visit presented the opportunity to see the situation on the ground and interact with some local interlocutors as part of the European Union's outreach to all stakeholders and we definitely look forward to continuing our dialogue with our Indian interlocutor."&nbsp;

The two-day visit on Wednesday and Thursday saw 24 foreign heads of the mission visiting the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The envoys visited Srinagar, Budgam, and Jammu. The programme included meeting with the military and the civil authorities, including elected representative. During the Srinagar visit, the envoys met elected representatives of urban local bodies, DDC and block development councils from all districts of the Kashmir division. The group also visited the famous Hazratbal shrine, one of the holiest mosques in the union territory.&nbsp;

The biggest percentage of envoys in the present group came from Europe. These were the EU, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. This is the third such visit of foreign envoys, with two batches visiting the Union territory last year in January and February. EU envoy was present in previous such visits as well.

European Union envoy to India Ugo Astuto has termed his visit to union territory of Jammu and Kashmir an 'opportunity' to see the 'situation on the ground' and during his interaction taken note of the recent district development council (DDC) elections and resumption of the 4G high-speed internet.

European Union envoy to India Ugo Astuto has termed his visit to union territory of Jammu and Kashmir an 'opportunity' to see the 'situation on the ground' and during his interaction taken note of the recent district development council (DDC) elections and resumption of the 4G high-speed internet. EU envoy speaking to WION said, "In our interaction, we have taken note of recent steps taken, such as the election of the district development council, the resumption of 4G internet services. It is very important obviously, right to freedom of expression online and offline is a key-value for all democracies." Adding, "We have also noted with great expectations as to other important steps to be taken in the political and economic sphere including the early organization of legislative assembly elections. Overall, the visit presented the opportunity to see the situation on the ground and interact with some local interlocutors as part of the European Union's outreach to all stakeholders and we definitely look forward to continuing our dialogue with our Indian interlocutor." The two-day visit on Wednesday and Thursday saw 24 foreign heads of the mission visiting the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The envoys visited Srinagar, Budgam, and Jammu. The programme included meeting with the military and the civil authorities, including elected representative. During the Srinagar visit, the envoys met elected representatives of urban local bodies, DDC and block development councils from all districts of the Kashmir division. The group also visited the famous Hazratbal shrine, one of the holiest mosques in the union territory. The biggest percentage of envoys in the present group came from Europe. These were the EU, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. This is the third such visit of foreign envoys, with two batches visiting the Union territory last year in January and February. EU envoy was present in previous such visits as well.

J&K visit an opportunity to see ground situation: EU envoy

In a first, German envoy to India Walter Lindner and EU envoy to India Ugo Astuto came together and spoke on Europe's world view for 2020, a year that saw the biggest crisis since world war 2--the COVID crisis. Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent, Sidhant Sibal, German envoy on his country's EU presidency for the next 6 months said, "COVID will be number one priority..how do we get rid of the crisis". EU Envoy Ugo expressed confidence in Berlin, saying, "EU has presented a very ambitious plan to deal with the crisis".

Europe's world view for 2020: German, EU envoy speaks to WION

WION exclusively spoke with German envoy to India Walter Lindner and EU envoy to India Ugo Astuto. Both the envoys came together and spoke on Europe's world view for 2020, a year that saw the biggest crisis since world war 2, the COVID crisis, and call for more multilateralism and cooperation.

WION exclusive conversation with German, EU envoy to India

Watch today in WION's Today Tonight: European Union Ambassador to India Ugo Astuto speaks exclusively to WION and laud India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiatives.

Today Tonight: European Union envoy speaks to WION, laud PM Modi's initiatives

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