India, Austria reaffirm support for ongoing negotiations on India-EU trade deal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer reaffirmed their strong support for the ongoing India-EU Trade and Investment Dialogue and early implementation of the EU-India Connectivity Partnership in their bilateral discussions in Vienna on Wednesday.

Both countries also identified new opportunities to further strengthen cooperation by preparing a roadmap for cooperation in the coming decades.

key areas

“It is not limited to just economic cooperation and investment. We will work to combine our strengths in areas such as infrastructure development, innovation, renewable energy, hydrogen, water and waste management, artificial intelligence and quantum technology,” Modi said in his press statement at a joint press conference with Nehmer. said in.

The two leaders emphasized that India and the EU have the largest and most vibrant free market space in the world, and said that deeper EU-India relations will be mutually beneficial as well as have a positive global impact. . Bilateral meeting between the two leaders.

“Chancellor Nehmer and Prime Minister Modi agreed to support various initiatives to bring India and the EU closer. In this context, they reaffirmed their strong support for the ongoing India-EU trade and investment dialogue and the early implementation of the EU-India Connectivity Partnership,” it said.

Modi also met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and discussed ways to advance bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, including the environment and tackling climate change. “Had a very good meeting with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and discussed ways to expand India-Austria cooperation,” Modi said in a post on social media platform ‘X’ after the meeting.

“The two leaders discussed bilateral and global issues. They also exchanged views on environmental sustainability, global warming and climate change action,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on eXpress.

Startup Bridge

Modi and Nehmer also welcomed the visit of the Austrian Minister of Labor and Economy to India in February 2024 and the initiative to connect the innovation and start-up ecosystem of the two countries through the ‘Startup Bridge’ established during the successful visit of a group . Visit of Indian start-ups to Austria in June. He encouraged relevant agencies of both countries to work to deepen similar exchanges in the future, including through frameworks such as Austria’s Global Incubator Network and the Start Up India initiative.

During the visit, the two leaders welcomed the holding of the first high-level bilateral business forum in Vienna with the participation of CEOs of several companies. “The two leaders addressed the business forum and encouraged business representatives to work towards new and more dynamic collaborations in various sectors,” the joint statement said.