Daily Times

The EU and India were set to bolster warming ties at a virtual summit Saturday by relaunching long-stalled trade talks and agreeing to work together against the coronavirus pandemic battering the south Asian giant.

The devastating wave of infections sweeping India has already impacted the meeting by forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to scrap plans to fly to Portugal to see his European counterparts.

But the 27-nation bloc and the world’s largest democracy remain determined to capitalise on growing momentum for tighter relations fuelled by shared concerns over the rising might of China.

“I am positive that we will be able to do a major step forward because between the EU and India there is a close relationship, but also a lot of untapped potential,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said as EU leaders gathered in Porto. “The most untapped potential is in trade and investment.”

EU countries have sent medical equipment and drugs worth an estimated 100 million euros ($120 million) to India as part of international efforts to help it fight against the flood of Covid-19 cases. The focus on the virus at the summit will be on making sure the two vaccine-producing powerhouses can maintain global supplies and monitoring the spread of variants — as well as on trying to plan together to tackle future pandemics. “We obviously need together to continue our efforts to ramp up production, secure the necessary raw materials, and keep supply chains open,” a senior EU official said.

“Leaders are going to commit to work together to better prepare for and respond to global health emergencies — and this clearly includes strengthening and reforming the World Health Organization.” Von der Leyen said the two sides would agree a “common platform” on sequencing the Covid-19 virus to help keep track of any new variants that may emerge.