Europe's Indo-Pacific policy
The month of June has witnessed major strategic engagements between India and key European countries against the backdrop of the IndoPacific. The region continues to maintain an important place for Europe, especially at a time when the United States and China are deepening their competition for power and influence in the geographic space.
The challenge for European countries, however, is to contribute to the stability the region without having to come directly between the US and China. India thus serves as an important pillar in European Indo-Pacific policy due to its adherence to strategic autonomy and its interest in maintaining the rules-based order in the region. Europe's strategic calculus
The Indo-Pacific region continues to position itself at the forefront of global geopolitics. Home to rising great powers such as India and China, major middle powers like Japan and Australia, and the established great power, the US, the region has become an avenue for power competition against the backdrop of maintaining or revising the global rules-based order.
With this in mind, extra-regional powers, particularly in Europe, have been showing concern toward the geopolitical shifts in the Indo-Pacific region.
The region contains more than half of the world's population and has abundant resources critical for development. It is also home to rapidly growing economies such as China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
The region accounts for almost 40% of global gross domestic product. Another important feature of the IndoPacific is the burgeoning power competition between the US and China, which has significant implications not only for the region, but beyond as well.
This has become a cause of major concern for European countries given that the economies of both regions are closely interlinked with respect to global supply chains. Critical trading routes pass through the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. If major conflicts erupt, the fate of commerce will be in the hands of the competing parties. This would have adverse effects on global trade and economic development.
With so much at stake, key European countries such as France, Italy, Greece and Spain have inevitably shifted their attention toward the region.
However, for them to enhance their presence in the Indo-Pacific without getting squashed by the US-China power competition, it will be important to forge a robust strategic framework with major powers in the region that espouse a significant degree of strategic autonomy while remaining committed to democratic values of the rulesbased order.
It is in this light that India continues to serve as a major pillar in the Indo-Pacific policy of major European powers. Deepening India-Italy strategic relations
The India-Italy strategic partnership continues to be an important pillar in the overarching relations between India and the European Union. Last November, a virtual summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte marked an important milestone in the bilateral relations between the two nations.
The two leaders discussed a wide array of economic and geopolitical issues centered in the Indo-Pacific. The results of the meeting were summarized in a Joint Declaration and Plan of Action, which sketched out priority areas in the bilateral partnership for the period 2020-2025.
Recently, Italian Ambassador to India Vincenzo De Luca said the two countries were working closely in vital strategic areas such as energy and defense. Moreover, De Luca highlighted that India and Italy shared the idea of an Indo-Pacific region that rested on common values and principles, rule of law, inclusive growth and an open and fair trade system.