‘For EU, India is a very promising market’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that letting the Russian aggression in Ukraine go unchallenged could lead to a world where “might makes right”, including in the Indo-Pacific, where there are “simmering tensions”.

In an interview to Rezaul H Laskar ahead of her arrival in India on Sunday for a two-day visit, Von der Leyen said she would discuss the Ukraine crisis with the Indian side with a call for collective action to “stop this aggression now”. Edited excerpts:

Could you tell us about the agenda for your visit to New Delhi and the priorities of the EU’s engagements with India?

When I took up office in 2019, I made it clear that I wanted the Commission to work for Europe as an active geopolitical player, upholding the rules-based global order, fighting climate change and charting the digital transition. On all of these topics, India is a crucial partner. We share the same democratic values and we have converging interests on the world scene, including when it comes to a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We also want to foster our broad economic agenda, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora such as the WTO. We are resuming negotiations for a free trade agreement as well as starting talks for an investment protection agreement and an agreement on geographical indications... I look forward to my discussions with PM Modi on all these issues.

We are facing an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russia against Ukraine, so it is of the utmost importance that the international community comes together to defend the values of the UN Charter.

How much of an inflection point has the war in Ukraine been in terms of the strategic and security policies of EU?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed the geopolitical landscape of Europe. We have shown how strong we are by acting together. The EU is not only giving Ukraine substantial political, financial and economic support, it has also taken the unprecedented step of financing the delivery of military equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces.

But this crisis has also shed a strong light on the EU’s needs when it comes to military capabilities. Working with partners is and will be a key priority for the EU. This is why we have put such emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region, and in particular India, with whom we are already cooperating in maritime security.

How much of a potential risk is there of the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggering similar incidents in the Indo-Pacific?

I believe there is a risk that – if this aggression goes unchallenged – we may all face a world where “might makes right”. The EU is for the rule of law, not for the rule of the gun. This is valid not just in Europe but also in the Indo-Pacific, where we see simmering tensions. With our IndoPacific strategy we have clearly indicated that the EU has a strong stake in the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.

Given that India hasn’t publicly criticised the Russian invasion, will you discuss the India’s position during your interactions?

We will of course discuss Ukraine. We are actually engaged in intense consultations with all our partners... What I say to all my interlocutors is that we need to stop this aggression now. We must uphold respect for the UN Charter, territorial integrity and the sovereignty of nations. This unprovoked attack by Putin is a challenge to the very principles that underpin global peace and security. We work very closely with India also in this respect and we appreciate the repeated calls by PM Modi for an immediate cessation of hostilities as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid.

With contacts resuming on the proposed India-EU free trade agreement, how do you think the discussions are shaping up?

India and the EU represent a combined market of 1.8 billion people and a GDP of €16.5 trillion. And yet EU-India trade in goods and services in 2020 amounted to only €96 billion, so there is so much untapped potential. The EU is India’s third largest trading partner. For the EU, India is a very promising market... We need to support the recovery and the green and digital transformation of our economies, as well as navigate around rising global tensions and secure our supply chains. Our common objective is to conclude swiftly and ambitiously all three agreements: on trade, investment protection and geographical indications.