‘EU, India working on new measures to deepen security cooperation’: Pronk

Pronk said the EU’s policy towards China has a three-pronged approach that perceives Beijing as a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival

NEW DELHI: The European Union (EU) and India are working on several measures to deepen security cooperation as the 27-member bloc perceives New Delhi as a vital partner for maritime security and ensuring free commerce across the Indo-Pacific, the head of EU’s Political and Security Committee said on Friday.

Delphine Pronk is chair of the Political and Security Committee and a key aide to EU’s defence and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. (via REUTERS)

Delphine Pronk, chair of the Political and Security Committee and a key aide to EU’s defence and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, said in an interview with HT that the European grouping will unveil its new vision for a strategic relationship with India in the coming days, and the two sides are discussing a security of information agreement to facilitate cooperation on sensitive matters.

The Political and Security Committee, which comprises ambassadors from the 27 EU members, is on its maiden visit to India for interactions with defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and foreign secretary Vikram Misri to explore new ways to deepen the defence and security partnership.

The India-EU relationship, Pronk said, has gone to a “strategic high” following the first visit by the College of Commissioners led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in February and the first strategic dialogue between Kallas and external affairs minister S Jaishankar in June.

“Partnerships like the EU and India are instrumental to make sure that we advance our values [and] our interests,” Pronk said. “We have a very strong strategy on… closer engagement with Indo-Pacific partners and India is crucial. You’re a key partner in advancing our joint interests [including] freedom of navigation, freedom of the flow of consumer goods, and this is something that we’re not only talking about but also acting upon.”

The European Commission and Kallas will announce the joint communication or vision for the strategic relationship with India soon, and the two sides are working on a security of information agreement to advance “cooperation on highly sensitive and nationally steered domains”, Pronk said.

“[This] shows you how important it is, and not only for the sake of European security, but also for global security,” she said, pointing to growing cooperation between the EU and India on maritime security.

Warships from EU states deployed with Operation Aspides, which focuses on protecting merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, and with Operation Atalanta, which counters piracy and smuggling of narcotics and arms in the Horn of Africa and western Indian Ocean, have engaged with the Indian Navy for joint exercises and port calls.

The two sides will also advance talks on a potential security and defence partnership. “So there are many areas in which we see there could be a potential for next-level engagement,” Pronk said.

The Political and Security Committee’s visit is part of preparations for the India-EU Summit early next year, when the new agenda for strategic relations with India is expected to be formally adopted. The committee’s trip to New Delhi has coincided with visits by EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen to drive negotiations for a free trade agreement, reflecting the bloc’s increased focus on India.

Pronk also highlighted the importance of ties with India in the context of China’s role in the Indo-Pacific and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The EU’s policy towards China has a three-pronged approach that perceives Beijing as a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival, she said.

“When we talk about systemic rivalry, especially in security and defence, we see China is enabling Russia to continue to wage its war against Ukraine. That is a vital and fundamental security interest to European security,” Pronk said. “We are firm where we must be [with China] and we cooperate where we can.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine endangered European security, Pronk said, referring to this week’s “unprecedented violation” of Polish airspace.

“We call upon partners, including India, to see that security perspective that is so fundamental to the threat of the way that we see the world order,” she said. “We ask our partners, and that includes India, to condemn those violations, to ensure that Russia’s war economy is not able to sustain their effort to continue to invade Ukraine, but also to make sure that our peace efforts are successful in leading to a sustainable peace.”