EU-India Relations: The Strategic Partnership in the Light of the European Union Global Strategy (Contributions to International Relations)

India and the European Union bear a particular responsibility: as international relations change, not least because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the two largest democracies in the world have the unique potential to jointly demonstrate that trusting cooperation and mutual understanding are both indispensable and fruitful―all the more so in the context of increasing national egoism and disregard for the fundamental principles of multilateralism. This realisation is not new. Believing in the necessity and mutual benefit of close cooperation, India and the EU struck a strategic partnership in 2004. But resounding success in forging closer bilateral ties and promoting an inclusive, rules-based global order has proved elusive. Since 2016, however, the EU’s Global Strategy has offered new opportunities for a restart of European foreign policy, envisaging new partnerships and recalibrating existing ones. On India’s part, too, changing stances have presented new openings―with New Delhi criticising protectionism and calling for a strengthening of multilateralism. This timely book scrutinises the status quo and the future potential of revitalised EU-India relations. By exploring and analysing conceptual approaches to and key dimensions of the strategic partnership, including trade, climate policy and development cooperation, it evaluates the prospects for future cooperation. Lastly, it offers policy recommendations for advancing the partnership between India and the EU. Preface Contents Editors and Contributors About the Editors Contributors Introduction India and the European Union: A Growing Responsibility to Cooperate in a Changing World 1 Introduction 2 The Changing World Order as a Catalyst for a Revitalised EU–India Partnership 3 The Volume’s Contribution to Research on the Promise of the Relationship 4 Outline of the Volume 4.1 Part I: Introduction 4.2 Part II: Conceptual Approaches to EU–India Relations 4.3 Part III: Dimensions of the Strategic Partnership 4.4 Part IV: Future Cooperation and Global Potentials 4.5 Part V: Policy Recommendations: How to Move Forward? References Europe’s Strategic Autonomy and the Partnership Approach 1 Introduction 2 Europe in a Challenging Strategic Environment 3 Europe’s Strategic Autonomy 3.1 The Economic Dimension 3.2 The Technological Dimension 3.3 The Security and Defence Dimension 4 European Political Cohesion and Strategic Autonomy 5 Strategic Autonomy and the Partnership Approach 6 Conclusion Conceptual Approaches to EU-India Relations Norm Contestation in EU Strategic Partnerships: The Cases of Civil Society Involvement and Climate Justice in EU–India Relations 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Framework: Norm Contestation in the EU’s Strategic Partnerships 2.1 Theoretical Background 2.2 Contestation in Strategic Partnerships: A Heuristic 3 Normative Foundation of the India-EU Strategic Partnership 3.1 The Normative Foundation of EU Foreign Policy 3.2 Normative Foundation of Indian Foreign Policy 4 Contestation Within and Beyond the Strategic Partnership 4.1 The Contested Norm of Civil Society Involvement 4.2 The Contested Norm of Climate Justice 5 Conclusion References What Strategies Can Do for Strategic Partnerships: Lessons from the EU’s Strategy on India 1 Introduction 2 Engagement Through Strategic Partnerships 3 How the EU Conducts Strategic Foreign Policy 4 A Quest to Further Engagement? The Case of the EU’s Strategy on India 4.1 First Condition: Cohesion Between the EU’s Strategy on India and the EU’s Global Strategy 4.2 Second Condition: Convergence Between the EU’s Strategy on India and India’s Foreign Policy Preferences 5 Conclusion References Putting the Partnership DNA to the Test: Partnerships in the EU Global Strategy and the Consequences for India 1 Introduction 2 Perceptions Are at the Centre of the EU’s Foreign Policy Strategies 2.1 The EU’s Foreign Policy Strategies as an Expression of Perceptions 2.2 Conceptualising EU Foreign Policy 3 Discourses on the EU as an International Actor 3.1 Civilian, Military and Superpower Europe 3.2 Normative Power and Empire Europe 4 Agreements and Partnerships in the EU Global Strategy 4.1 Priorities in the Structure of the EU Global Strategy 4.2 Partnership Priorities in the Content of the EU Global Strategy 4.3 EU–India Relations in the EU Global Strategy 5 Conclusion References Dimensions of the Strategic Partnership A Partnership Between Two Large Elephants? Opportunities and Challenges in India–EU Relations 1 Introduction 2 The Challenge of EU–India Perceptions 2.1 Indian Perceptions of the EU 2.2 Self-Perception of India in Relation to the EU 2.3 EU Officials’ Perception of India 2.4 Self-Perception of the EU in Relation to India 3 The Challenges of Indian and EU Bureaucratic Structures and Decision-Making Processes 3.1 Indian Bureaucracy Dealing with the EU 3.2 EU Bureaucracy Dealing with India 4 Challenges in EU–India Meetings and Agreements 5 The Challenges of India–EU Public Diplomacy 5.1 Public Diplomacy Efforts and Limitations 5.2 EU Low Visibility in Specific Fields 6 Prospects for EU–India Relations References The European Union–India Strategic Partnership: An Examination of the Economic Aspects 1 Introduction 2 The Timing for This Partnership Is Appropriate 3 The EU–India Strategic Partnership Is Driven by Economics 4 What Drives the Strategic Partnership? 5 Conclusion References Determinants and Impediments of the EU-India Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement: The Proof of This Old Pudding Is in the Eating 1 Introduction 2 Background to the Start of the BTIA Negotiations 3 The Inception of the BTIA Negotiations (2005–2010) 4 On the Road to Suspension (2010–2013) 5 Negotiations in Limbo (2013–) 6 Conclusion References Low-Carbon Development: An Idea Whose Time Has Come—Unlocking Climate Cooperation Between India and the EU 1 Introduction 2 Indian-European Climate Relations in the 2000s: Downtime and Unfulfilled Expectations 3 2016 Onwards: A New Course of Action 4 Low-Carbon Development: An Idea Whose Time Has Come 5 Unlocking Climate Cooperation—Multi-Level Governance as an Opportunity Structure 6 Summary References India’s Climate Diplomacy Towards the EU: From Copenhagen to Paris and Beyond 1 Introduction 2 Climate Diplomacy: Relevance and Dimensions 3 Climate Diplomacy: Ideality and Materiality 4 Contours and Drivers of Shifts in India’s Climate Diplomacy: Where Does the EU Figure? 4.1 Influence of Changes in India’s Identities and Geopolitical Pressures 4.2 India’s Climate Diplomacy Under Modi 4.3 India’s Climate Diplomacy Towards the EU: A Policy Perspective 5 An Applied Discussion on India-EU Climate Diplomacy 6 Conclusion References India and the EU’s Approach to Development Cooperation: Talking the Talk or Walking the Walk? 1 Introduction 2 The EU’s Development Cooperation Policy 2.1 Evolution of the EU’s Development Policy 2.2 Set of Instruments 3 India’s Development Cooperation Policy 3.1 Evolution of India’s Development Policy 3.2 Sets of Instruments 4 EU-India Development Cooperation: Divergences and Convergences 4.1 EU-India Development Cooperation: Divergence in Approaches 4.2 EU-India Development Cooperation: Convergence in Approaches 5 EU-India Development Partnership: Broadening Toolboxes and Areas of Cooperation 5.1 EU-India Development Partnership: The Toolbox for Cooperation 5.2 EU-India Development Partnership: Areas of Cooperation 6 Conclusion References Future Cooperation and Global Potentials From Destroyer to Preserver? The Evolution of India’s Position Towards the Liberal International Order and Its Significance for the EU–India Strategic Partnership 1 Introduction 2 India and the Post-Cold War Liberal Order 3 India and Trade Regimes 4 India and Human Rights and Democracy Promotion 5 India and the Non-Proliferation Regime 6 Conclusion References Multilateralism in a Changing Global Order: Prospects for India–EU Cooperation 1 Introduction 2 An Evolving Relationship 3 Bottlenecks in Cooperation 4 Multilateralism in a Changing Global Order: Finding a Common Ground 5 Conclusion References Between Competition and Cooperation: The EU Global Strategy as Means to Reinvigorate EU-Indian Cooperation? 1 Introduction 2 The Road to Strategic Significance for the EU and India? 3 The New EU Strategy on India 4 EU–India Relations and the Way Forward: Opportunities and Constraints 5 Conclusion References Policy Recommendations: How to Move Forward? Global Trends to 2030: A European Perspective on Challenges and Choices for the EU-India Strategic Partnership 1 Introduction 2 Mega-Trends 3 Catalysts 4 Game-Changers 5 Scenario Building 5.1 EU-India Strategic Partnership Unable to Take Action 5.2 Increased Effective EU-India Cooperation by 2030 6 Conclusions References Perception of the EU in India: A ‘Europe House’ Is Missing in European Public Diplomacy 1 Introduction 2 New Bilateral and Global Context 3 The Perception Problem of the EU in India 4 EU Public Diplomacy in India 5 What About Europe House in India? 6 Will It Fly? 7 Conclusions and the Way Forward References “The EU Should...!”; “India Needs...!”: Parapublic Underpinnings to Realise Global IR in Policy Analysis of EU–India Relations 1 Introduction 2 What Policy Analysts Can Learn from Current Theory Debates 2.1 The Third Debate in IR and the Argumentative Turn in Policy Research 2.2 The Postcolonial Critique of Mainstream IR 3 A Way Forward: Fostering Global IR Through Parapublic Underpinnings 3.1 The Global IR Paradigm 3.2 Parapublic Underpinnings as Implementation of the Global IR Principles 3.3 Building on Established Structures 3.4 Take It to a New Level 4 Conclusion References India and the European Union: A Partnership for Joining Forces on the Global Scene—Concluding Remarks and Outlook 1 Introduction 2 Framing the EU–India Relations Within the Current Global Order 3 Partnerships and Perceptions in a Changing World 4 The Changing Global Order and the EU-India Strategic Roadmap to 2025 References