Trade, terrorism, climate change and energy security to top India-EU agenda

New Delhi, Nov 6 : India and the European Union will sign civil nuclear cooperation agreement at their Summit today. The two sides are also expected to give a political push to free trade pact negotiations.

The issue of climate change and the global financial crisis will also figure prominently in talks between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country is the current chair of the 27-nation European grouping.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will also participate in the 10th annual Summit where the two sides will also discuss stepped up cooperation in counter-terrorism and look at ways to double trade to USD 200 billion by 2013.

Civil nuclear agreement is expected to facilitate a joint research in fusion energy and will aim at intensifying cooperation to develop scientific understanding and technological capability.

It will develop a specific agenda for fusion research cooperation that goes far beyond ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Research project)," the European Commission said.

The pact will mark India''s formal participation in ITER, an ambitious multi-country project to be based in Cadarache in France at an estimated cost of about 4.6 billion Euro (USD 5.4 billion or Rs 25,000 crore). The project also involves the US, EU, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea.

Ahead of the Summit, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma met EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and said both sides are looking at doubling trade to USD 200 billion in the next four years.

On the negotiations for a free trade pact, which have been dragging for two years, Sharma made it clear that the agreement would be delayed because of persisting differences.

The two sides would also be discussing collaborative ways to tackle the global financial crisis as well as the reform of multilateral financial institutions.

Climate change would also be high on the agenda in view of the upcoming Copenhagen Summit.

India has been showing its willingness to do its bit to fight the climate change, but is refusing to accept any binding commitments on cutting the greenhouse gas emissions.

--ANI