News Flash: The defining challenge facing the European Parliament today is understanding how China is infiltrating in the European institutions especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, EICC Secretary General Sunil Prasad writes to the President of the European Parliament Ms. Roberta Metsola. He wrote, “With intensifying its crackdown not just on opposition and dissent, but also on perceived disloyalty, disaffection, policy disagreements and ideological nonconformity, the Chinese government is bent upon influencing the institutions and its members to serve Chinese interest. China is also taking advantage of an incoherent and inconsistent EU policy towards China.” See the link of the letter.

News Flash: EICC letter to EU High Representative Mr. Borrell on 13th anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks and fight against terrorism. Here is the link to the letter.

News Flash: “As Jammu & Kashmir is undergoing on-the-ground reforms a new dawn of peace and development is also taking shape to take the future of Kashmir to new directions and new priorities” – EICC Secretary General Sunil Prasad says in a letter addressed to the President of European Parliament Mr. Sassoli. Secretary General added “Pakistan has been waging a proxy war since 1989 and justifies “jihad” in Kashmir as a legitimate part of its foreign policy. Pakistan has no legal basis to speak on behalf of Kashmiris and it has no claim over the occupied territory” He also said that Kashmir is known for its glorious past and it is time that this glory returns to the valley and Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A has created the conditions and possibilities for this glorious return.

News Flash: “Legal Services sector in the EU-India free trade negotiation: “In the post COVID-19 world order, this is a significant development, not only from an international trade perspective, but also from the geo-politics perspective. For India, FTA with the EU has the potential of integrating it with the dominant global value chain of trade, and for the EU, FTA with India would not only provide an enhanced access to one of the largest and fastest growing markets as well as manufacturing hubs in the world and ensuring supply chain resilience but would also enhance its economic and political influence in the Indo-Pacific region” EICC Secretary General Sunil Prasad said this in a letter jointly addressed to Mr. Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, Government of India and Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President and EU Commissioner for Trade, European Commission.

News Flash: “Legal Services sector in the EU-India free trade negotiation: “In the post COVID-19 world order, this is a significant development, not only from an international trade perspective, but also from the geo-politics perspective. For India, FTA with the EU has the potential of integrating it with the dominant global value chain of trade, and for the EU, FTA with India would not only provide an enhanced access to one of the largest and fastest growing markets as well as manufacturing hubs in the world and ensuring supply chain resilience but would also enhance its economic and political influence in the Indo-Pacific region” EICC Secretary General Sunil Prasad said this in a letter jointly addressed to Mr. Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, Government of India and Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President and EU Commissioner for Trade, European Commission.

The letter is accompanied with a Position Paper on the liberalisation of legal sector

News Flash: “EU’s China policy has been a disaster for Europe and its democratic values”. Sunil Prasad, Secretary General of the Europe India Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to EU High Representative Mr. Borrell said “EU has nourished an incoherent and inconsistent policy towards China that has failed to deliver on its promises. For long, European Union has labelled China a “systemic rival” and a strategic competitor, but also has simultaneously tried to constructively engage with it and without any positive outcome. Today, the EU leaders need to review whether EU’s constructive engagement and continuing the old China policy has brought any benefit to Europe?”

EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and its China Challenge – Letter to EU High Representative Mr Josep Borrell

News Flash: EICC in a letter to the EU Vice President and High Representative Mr. Borrell said that given Pakistan’s track record of responding to genocide, invasion and proxy war, EU will be justified to sanction Pakistan for duping the EU all this while and supporting the Taliban. The Chamber asked “In addition to sanctioning Pakistan, it is important to list Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and add it to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Blacklist”.

News Flash: “The future of the European Union will not be decided in the corridors of Berlaymont building, nor it will be decided in the European Parliament plenaries but on the streets of the member states where the real power lies and from where the message is loud and clear: Chuck China” – EICC asks EU to craft a new policy to meet the challenges of China. See letter in the link:

News Flash: “A quick deal will create an incredible dynamic of innovation and material prosperity in India. We believe that given the ongoing stakes in the global economic disorder, New Delhi and Brussels together can lead the future of global trade by concluding the agreement” EICC urges Indian Minister for Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal to take steps to restart the stalled FTA negotiation with EU. See letter in the link:

News Flash: “If the EU fails to respond to this unprecedented challenge posed by China, the levels of trust in EU institutions and its values in democracy, and in fair trade, will see a precipitous decline. To save its founding principles, the EU must act before it is too late. The 21st century cannot be allowed to become China’s century and China cannot be allowed to become “deadlier” than the Corona”, EICC in a letter to the European Commission President asks EU to take hard line approach on China.

News Flash: EICC letter to European Commission President Ms. Ursula von der Leyen on Covid and EU’s China Challenge – “The investment treaty with EU will give China and its party apparatus a “Free Pass” to weaken the role of European democratic norms and overturn vital economic and other components of order from which China itself has benefitted for decades”, the Chamber’s Secretary General said in a letter to the European Commission President. Expressing concern about the origin of the COVID-19, Chamber said “The EU is at its best when setting standards and it is high time that EU takes lead, together with international community, in developing mechanism for enforcing international scientific research safeguards and how to operate in countries like China which lacks a good regulatory and ethical review process, and where they cannot be enforced reasonably”.

News Flash: Chamber writes to the President of European Parliament Mr. Sassoli to direct European Commission to withdraw GSP plus status to Pakistan. It says that allowing Pakistan to continue benefitting from preferential EU trade rules despite strong international concerns over its human rights abuses threatens EU’s credibility and we appeal to the European Parliament to direct the European Commission to ask Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy laws, and until the law is repealed, withdraw the GSP status given to the country.

News Flash: EICC letter to EU President Ms. Ursula von der Leyen on India’s Covid-19 crisis – EICC thanks European Commission President for the swift action for activating the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and mobilizing urgently needed critical medical supplies, and other assistance to India to help overcome the health crisis in the wake of the rise in COVID-19 pandemic infection rates.

News Flash: EICC Statement for the 16th EU-India Summit to held in Portugal on 8 May 2021 – FROM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO STRATEGIC PARTNERING – EICC CALLS FOR REIMAGINING RELATION BETWEEN EUROPEAN UNION AND INDIA IN THE POST-PANDEMIC NEW WORLD ORDER

News Flash: EICC asks EU to kick-start the stalled free trade negotiations with India as it fears that EU and India may be sleepwalking their way to another lost decade on the FTA negotiation.

News Flash: EICC letter to Mr. Augusto Santos Silva, Foreign Minister of Portugal

Chamber writes to Portuguese Foreign Minister on Portugal taking Presidency of the European Council from 1 January 2021 and the importance of focusing on EU’s relations with India.

News Flash: Trade and Investment Partnership Summit 2020

The Europe India Chamber of Commerce, the Apex Chamber of Europe which promotes trade and economic relations between European Union and India, is pleased to invite you to its annual flagship brand event, the Trade and Investment Partnership Summit (TIPS 2020). The TIPS virtual Summit will take place on December 16, 2020. The theme of the Virtual Summit is: “EU-INDIA – OPPORTUNITIES FOR SDG AND GROWTH UNDER COVID TRANSFORMATIVE ORDER”.

The objective of the Trade and Investment Partnership Summit (TIPS) is to create awareness on international business opportunities and feasibility of cross-border expansion for Indian and European business. The Summit will make comprehensive overview on the strategic fundamentals of India-EU bilateral relationship in content and context and will suggest ways to give it a strategic dimension through a full spectrum of presentations and debate.

For more information, please see the link: Trade and Investment Partnership Summit 2020 – TIPS 2020 info

For EICC TIPS 2020 Final Program, please see the link: EICC TIPS 2020 Final Program

News Flash: EICC letter to HE Mr.Philippe Leglise Costa on EU Pakistan Dialogue.

Europe India Chamber of Commerce writes to French Ambassador to the EU on the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue and says that it was the most inappropriate time for EU to hold the Dialogue with Pakistan given the wide and violent anti-French and anti-European demonstration in the country.

News Flash: EICC writes to EU on the expanding espionage activities in Europe’s Apex Chamber EICC asks EU to review the GSP+ trade privilege to Pakistan.

Europe’s Apex Chamber EICC asks EU to review the GSP+ trade privilege to Pakistan, a country which is regarded as an international jihad’s tourist resort. A time has come when the question should not be whether Pakistan deserves GSP+ privileges, but whether it is time to impose tough economic sanctions on the country. The letter to the EU Trade Commissioner says that it is perhaps high time that institutions like the European Union put their considerable global influence and moral weight in leading a multilateral push for putting Pakistan on the Black List of FATF.

News Flash: EICC writes to EU on the expanding espionage activities in EU by the Chinese Secret Service and its looming dangers to EU institutions.

Please see the EICC letter to EU High Representative and VP Mr. Josep Borrell on espionage activities by Chinese Secret Service

News Flash: EICC asks EU Health Commissioner to take a balanced approach on EU’s new Medicine policy with continued access of Indian pharma products to EU market.

Please see the EICC letter letter addressed to the EU Commissioner Ms. Stella Kyriakides

News Flash: EICC tears into EU’s GSP policy on extending GSP privilege to Pakistan contradicting founding principles of Financial Action Task Force

Please see the EICC letter addressed to EU Trade Commissioner Mr. Phil Hogan.

News Flash: EICC Letter to EU High Representative and Vice-President on Pakistan

The Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) is recognized as the Apex Chamber of Europe which promotes bilateral trade between European Union and India. EICC is a non-partisan, business advocacy organization which speaks for multilateral rule based trading system and improvement in European and Indian competitiveness through activities in the legislative, regulatory and political arenas and acts as the catalyst for positive change in all areas of economic development. The chamber is realising its mission through high level strategic dialogue and debate in which trade and economic issues are intensively discussed. The Chamber is the premier non-profit generating privately funded non-governmental organization which serves as the key liaising body representing views of European and Indian business and professional communities, companies, enterprises and semi-business groups having business interest in each other’s countries. Our primary mission is to foster a bilateral dialogue between key business and decision makers, thus encouraging progressive economic policies in both Europe and India. The objective of the EICC is to provide substantial input into the various interest groups and to facilitate, co-ordinate, liaise and advise European and Indian business community who are typically based in most Member States of the EU countries.

EICC Infosheet