India and the European Union: From Engagement to Strategic Partnership

Abstract

Relations between India and the European Union (EU) have evolved over a long period. Beginning in the early 1960s, with diplomatic relations being established between India and the European Economic Community (EEC), it has expanded and subsequently been transformed because both India and the EU (since 1992) have assumed a growing significance in post-Cold War international politics. However, this partnership has not been able to achieve its potential partly because of the low political visibility of the EU and strong bilateral relations between India and major European powers. The India–EU relationship in the context of the strategic partnership launched in 2004 has witnessed a dramatic expansion of engagement from the economic to the political and security realms, although the strategic partnership does not mean absence of differences and difficulties. There is, however, a perception that India’s closeness to the US has impacted the development of partnerships with both the EU and major individual countries.