New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Strengthening the European Union’s strategic partnership with India would be a key priority during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Ambassador of Ireland to India, Kevin Kelly, said on Wednesday.

Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Wednesday and will guide negotiations among the EU’s 27 Member States, chair Council meetings, help advance the Union’s legislative agenda, and foster consensus on key policy issues affecting more than 450 million European citizens for the next six months, till December 31.

Speaking with IANS, Ambassador Kelly emphasised that during the country’s Presidency, Ireland will work on advancing the Council work supporting progress towards an ambitious EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and strengthening ties in key sectors particularly across trade, technology, research, connectivity, maritime security, resilient supply chains and digital cooperation.

“Our big hope is that the EU Free Trade Agreement with India will finally be signed before the end of our presidency. That’s our ambition, and we’re hoping it will happen. We’ll be doing everything we can. Of course, it’s now at a stage where all the hard work has been done, the negotiations have been completed, and the legal experts on both sides are reviewing the text to ensure it stands up to legal scrutiny. I think it would be a wonderful achievement if the Irish Presidency of the European Council would also be known as the period of time when the Free Trade Agreement with India was finally signed,” Kelly told IANS.

The Irish Ambassador also mentioned that the European Union increasingly sees India as one of its most important strategic partners.

“Our Presidency programme reflects that, highlighting both the importance of the Indo-Pacific and the priority attached to the EU’s relationship with India,” he stated.

This will be the eighth time Ireland has held the rotating Presidency, a responsibility that Ambassador Kelly said reflects on Ireland’s enduring commitment to partnership, cooperation and progress in Europe.

The Irish Presidency, he said, is centred on three overarching priorities: Competitiveness, Values and Security under the motto ‘Strength with Unity’.

Kelly highlighted that Ireland assumes the Presidency at a time of profound geopolitical change, with ongoing conflicts, rapid technological transformation and increasing pressure on the multilateral system. He restated Ireland’s commitment to working closely with its European partners to deliver a more competitive, secure and resilient Europe while upholding the Union’s shared democratic values.

“Together, India and the European Union account for almost two billion people. We are vibrant democracies, major economic powers and increasingly indispensable partners in addressing global challenges. Having lived in India for nearly three years now, one thing has struck me time and again: just how closely developments in Europe are followed here. Conversations that might once have focused mainly on trade now range across technology, security, geopolitics and the future of the international order. Whether I am speaking with ministers, business leaders, academics or journalists, I find a sophisticated understanding that what happens in Europe matters for India – and increasingly, what happens in India matters for Europe,” Ambassador Kelly mentioned.

–IANS

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