The European Union (EU) is likely to take a collective decision on nuclear commerce with India, even as France and the UK are making contact with India to tap the opportunity arising from the recent waiver by the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to India to carry out nuclear trade.
“The NSG waiver has created conditions for working with India on nuclear issues. The European Commission has to consult member states to work on these issues. That is the position we will take in the next few weeks,” said Matthias Ruete, director-general for energy and transport, European Commission, the executive branch of the EU. He was speaking on “EU-India challenges: Energy and Transport and Climate Change” at a meeting with industry players in Delhi.
This comes at a time the domestic industry is gearing up to enter the nuclear arena. On Monday, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industries (Assocham) set up a lobby group comprising 40 Indian companies, including Jindal Power and Tata Power, to promote private participation in nuclear power generation.
The NSG, a few days ago, agreed to lift a 34-year-old restriction on India, helping it to resume nuclear commerce with the rest of the world. The decision has now opened a new chapter in India’s cooperation with other countries in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Ruete also announced the setting up of a “New European business and technology centre”, in New Delhi later this week, to focus on research in energy conservation, climate change, biotechnology, transport and renewable energy.
The EU has set a target of increasing renewable energy’s share in its energy mix to 20 per cent by 2020. It aims to meet 10 per cent of its transport needs through renewable energy by that year.
Energy and transport are the two strategic areas for economic cooperation between India and the EU.
