The two countries have agreed to deepen their common work on resilient value chains, work to resolve bilateral market access issues and exchange information on each other’s mechanisms on foreign direct investment screening.

The first ministerial-level meeting of the India-EU trade and technology council (TTC) took place on May 16 in Brussels.

A joint statement released by the two trade partners during the meeting said that India and the European Union will cooperate on quantum and high-performance computing research and development projects to help address challenges including climate change.

The meeting, as per an official statement by the EU, centred discussions around strategic technologies, digital governance, connectivity; clean and green energy technologies as well as trade, investment and building of resilient value chains.

During the meeting, both regions also committed to seek cooperation on trustworthy Artificial Intelligence and coordinate their policies with regard to the strategic semiconductors sector through a dedicated Memorandum of Understanding.

They will work together on bridging the digital skills gap and promoting exchange of digital talent. “Both partners will engage on 5G, telecoms and Internet of Things standardisation, which will enhance the interoperability of their respective digital public infrastructures,” the statement read.

Further, the two countries will focus on wastewater management, including plastic litter and waste to hydrogen; recycling of batteries for e-vehicles and standards through pre-normative research.

On trade, the two countries have agreed to deepen their common work on resilient value chains, work to resolve bilateral market access issues and exchange information on each other’s mechanisms on foreign direct investment screening.