India & European Union to hold first ministerial meeting of Trade and Technology Council on May 16

India and the European Union are set to hold the first Ministerial Meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Brussels on May 16, 2023.

This significant meeting will be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, Minister of Communications, Electronics and Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, from the Indian side. On the other hand, from the EU’s side, Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice Presidents of the EU, will co-chair the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (May 23, 2023).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the launch of the council during the latter's visit to India in April 2022.

Three Working Groups were then established by both sides under the TTC: (i) Working Group on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance, and Digital Connectivity; (ii) Working Group on Green and Clean Energy Technologies; and (iii) Working Group on Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains.

"​Both sides have maintained continuous engagement thereafter within the Working Groups at various levels and meetings of the three Working Groups have also taken place leading to the Ministerial meeting in Brussels," the MEA said.

The EU-India Trade and Technology Council is the second such bilateral forum for the EU and the first one established with any partner for India. The TTC is meant to offer the political direction and framework required to coordinate strategies and promote technical work. India as well as the EU have agreed to work on critical areas such as connectivity, green technologies and resilient supply chains.

According to the EU, the partnership with India is one of the most important relationships for the upcoming decade and strengthening this partnership, including through the TTC, is a priority. The cooperation in the TTC should focus on key issues of shared strategic importance, including trade, trusted technology and security, notably in respect of challenges posed by rival governance models.

"In this context, cooperation on research and innovation are important to unlock potential," the EU had said on February 6, 2023.