Indo-EU Joint Statement: Highlighting Green, Clean Decarbonisation Efforts

New Delhi: While the Indo-EU joint statement goes through a wide range of areas of possible cooperation from defense to semiconductors and critical minerals, it is strongly underpinned by the theme of “sustainable” actions, environmental responsibility and clean technology-led decarbonisation, areas that were overwhelmingly rejected by the Trump-led United States earlier this month.

In contrast, a joint statement issued on Tuesday praised India’s International Solar Alliance, which was recently abandoned by the US; it pledges to help with India’s decarbonisation, the launch of the Green Hydrogen Task Force and several other EU-India environmental collaborations, in addition to recognizing India’s key interest in ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ (CBDR) under the Paris Climate Agreement.

The statement highlights that in a context of global uncertainty and disruption, closer economic ties between India and the EU are more important than ever to drive growth, job creation, “green transformation, industrial development and more resilient, sustainable and trusted supply chains”.

The centrality of this underlying theme is clearly confirmed and detailed in the 10-page ‘Towards 2030: A Joint India-EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda’, which begins by stating how it is aimed at accelerating progress in five key pillars, the first of which is labeled ‘prosperity and sustainability’.

The joint statement makes no mention of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is expected to impact Indian exporters, but the “Strategic Agenda” details numerous environmental collaborations – from strengthening the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership in energy technology, smart grids, storage, electricity sector regulation and climate diplomacy to reactivating the Joint Task Force on Energy Security and EU Energy Availability under the EU’s Joint Task Force on Energy Security.

An India-EU Wind Summit is planned to be held in 2026 to promote business and expertise exchange on wind energy technologies and financing, besides operationalizing the India-EU Green Hydrogen Working Group. The aim is to promote cooperation in the production, storage and distribution of hydrogen to support efforts to decarbonise hard-to-reduce sectors.

The two entities are expected to conclude a governance arrangement between India and the EU on disaster risk management, paving the way for closer EU engagement with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on disaster preparedness. The European Investment Bank (EIB) recently committed €2 billion through CDRI to finance climate-resilient infrastructure in India. As for the ISA, which faces funding after the US withdrawal, the EU praised the efforts of the IAS and the joint statement pledged to “use continued cooperation” to make solar energy technology more accessible and affordable globally.

The EU and India are also seeking to increase bilateral investment in ‘Blue Valleys’ – a concept to support industrial cooperation in building strategic value chains in predominantly clean energy areas by linking businesses, investments and regulators. A pilot project is currently underway in Assam. Larger “Blue Valley” ecosystems to support B2B are planned in areas such as solar inverters and electrolysers, with the broader idea that the EU and India will take the lead in clean technology.

Cooperation on clean mobility is another key area – from aviation to shipping and land transport. The EU is looking to join hands in areas such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Compressed Biogas (CBG), vehicle energy certification methodologies, electric vehicle charging standards, advanced rail standards aimed at decarbonisation besides including compliant Indian ship recycling yards in the list of EU ship recycling facilities under the Hong Kong Convention on Safe and Environmental Ship Recycling.

Green-Clean Indo-EU Wishlist

Activation:

· Implementation of India’s Emissions Trading System (CCTS) and EU Emissions Trading System (ETS)

· India-EU Smart and Sustainable Urbanization Partnership for further cooperation between cities

· Deepen cooperation in the field of sustainable financial instruments and corporate sustainability within the framework of the EU Global Green Bonds Initiative

Strengthen partnership on resource efficiency and circular economy, including by establishing a joint India-EU Circular Economy Working Group

· Organization of a regular joint EU-India working group on water cooperation

· Relaunch the India-EU Environmental Forum to facilitate exchanges between government and business

· Promote sustainable agriculture and promote sustainable agri-food systems, including through the establishment of an agri-food policy partnership dialogue.

· Develop Green Shipping Corridors to reduce dependence on carbon-intensive shipping fuels and jointly develop a green shipbuilding ecosystem in India

· India-EU Administrative Arrangement on trilateral cooperation in areas such as energy, climate resilience, green mobility and digitalisation

· Collaborate and support India’s CDRI to strengthen early warnings for all, especially in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

· Work on the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework and collaborate with India on its Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.