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Europe Day celebrations in India

On 9 May, the European Union celebrated Europe Day 2023, a moment to commemorate the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950. To mark the special occasion, the European Union Delegation to India organised a range of online and on-site activities, providing Indians an experience and taste of the European Union. To know more read…

A special social media campaign #EUnitedINDiversity, was launched in collaboration with #EUIndiaCulturalChampions. The campaign put a spotlight on the similarities between the two cultures. Check out these Euro-Indian couples, who share their cross–cultural experiences: Aam and Basil and Indian Polish Connection

In the true spirit of European unity and solidarity, the European Union Delegation organised a reception in New Delhi. Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, the Hon’ble Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi was the chief guest. Eminent guests from all walks of life were seen savouring a melange of diverse traditional European cuisines under one roof over warm chitter chatter. If you have a personal favourite dish from where you are in the EU now or from your time there, share a photo savouring it on social media and don’t forget to tag us on EU Insta handle.

The Europe Day celebrations were covered by the national broadcaster, Doordarshan and other media. Ambassador Ugo Astuto shared his views on the growing strategic relationship with India in an op-ed EU-India Tie-Up Is For Global Common Good.

174 Indian students win Erasmus Mundus scholarships for Higher Studies in Europe

We are thrilled to announce that a record-breaking number of 174 Indian students have been awarded with the Erasmus Mundus scholarships for the academic year 2023-2024. This cohort of talented individuals, with over 50% of them being women, represents the largest-ever selection of Indian students to receive these scholarships in a single year. Catch some glimpses of the pre-departure reception. Read how ERASMUS program in India has grown over the years.

These are the 2023 EU-India Young Leaders!

Congratulations to the cohort of the 20 applicants, who were shortlisted under 2023 EU-India Young Leaders Exchange. To learn more about them and their views on the EU-India Relationship read here...

20 young leaders from EU and India were chosen through a competitive selection process that assessed over 90 applications. Over the past few months, these young leaders have been engaging in some thought provoking and collaborative discussions on the challenges and opportunities of the EU-India relationship. The first in the series being on "Current Priorities, Challenges And Opportunities Within The Context Of EU-India Relations." H.E. Mr Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to India and Bhutan shed light on the Strategic Importance of EU-India Cooperation in his opening remarks while Ms. Priya Poojary, Lecturer at Manipal Centre for European Studies, and Dr. Constantino Xavier, Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress as the panellists provided their valuable insights.

The expert panel, Mr. Alvis Ancans, International Relations Officer of DG Connect at the European Commission, and Dr. Rudra Chaudhuri, Director at Carnegie India, delved into the topic of EU-India Cooperation in Digital Governance in the second discussion in this series titled "Exploring EU-India Cooperation in Digital Governance". Providing the young leaders, a comprehensive overview of the digital cooperation framework within EU-India relations including sharing the outcomes of the first Ministerial meeting of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council held in May.

These series of conversations aim provide impetus to the young leaders on this program as they set out to produce a policy brief and provide valuable policy recommendations to the experts and policymakers at the margins of the Brussels Indo-Pacific Dialogue at the end of the year. And make their views tabled at the highest levels of decision making. For more on this program stay tuned.

EU-India Partner To Boost Smart, Green and Secure Connectivity Investments in Northeast India

North East India remains of key strategic importance to India. It is seen as crucial gateway to Southeast and East Asia. As India seeks to strengthen its economic, political, security and cultural ties with the region. It must create a developed and strong NER. EU hosts the EU-India Global Gateway Conference to boost smart, green and secure connectivity investments in Northeast India.

Innovative Collaborative Models to Accelerate Sustainability and SDGs in Select Indian States

In partnership with the EU Delegation to India, the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) organised two roundtables to deliberate on innovative collaborative model actions on sustainability and SDGs in West Bengal and Assam in May 2023. CRB partnered with the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry for the event in Kolkata and the Media Management Group for Literacy and Development for the event in Guwahati. To delve into issues and the outcomes of these forums read…

Over 40 senior stakeholders representing CSOs, businesses, government, academia and experts attended each of these events.

The dialogues were designed to explore opportunities for deepening collaboration between stakeholders on sustainability and SDGs, based on existing ‘good practices’ and possibilities in the future to accelerate SDGs. Some of the issues/questions that these dialogues explored were:

• Application of SDGs (targets and indicators) in designing of government, businesses and civil society initiatives at the State-level
• Opportunities and challenges, for enabling effective and impactful collaboration between state-level stakeholders to accelerate SDGs
• Role of key stakeholders in developing collaborative initiatives, including civil society, industry bodies, academia, business, government, etc
• Recipe for successful and effective collaboration in priority areas (sectors or themes),
• Recommendations for the State and the National level policy-actors

Some of the key takeaways from the dialogues included the following:

• There is a need for balanced and open dialogues between stakeholders to promote collaboration for SDGs.
• Local stakeholders can help support state government in tracking SDGs to help in the annual assessment of state-level progress on SDGs.
• SDGs provide a ‘universal’ and ‘acceptable’ framework for government and the private sector to assess and track progress on social, environmental and economic parameters.
• There is both appetite and interest in the government to put sustainability and SDGs centre-stage in important business events.
• The community must be at the heart of any intervention or programme for achieving SDGs.
• The speed of attaining SDGs is less important than the quality of the outcome.
• Not just SDGs, but the process of their attainment must be the subject of discussion.
• The North East is unique in terms of its environment and ecology. This must be factored into any plan for development in the region.
• The challenges faced by women and other vulnerable groups must be taken into consideration when designing programmes and policies.

The dialogues provided a valuable platform for stakeholders to share their experiences and learn from each other, fostering successful collaboration. They also helped identify interesting models of collaboration on sustainability and SDGs from various states, serving as inspiration for others.

Two more dialogues will be organized across India in the next couple of months. The lessons and takeaways from all four roundtables will be compiled into a briefing paper that will be shared with a wide range of stakeholders across the states. This will help spread awareness about the opportunities and benefits of collaborative initiatives on SDGs.

More than 80% of people on Earth experienced a hotter July triggered by climate change.⁠ ⁠This is our new reality.

Upcoming Events

Roundtable on Accelerating Business – CSO Collaboration on Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals

Continuing the series of the multi-stakeholder dialogues in partnership with Centre for Responsible Business, the EU Delegation to India under its Global Gateway Strategy brings two more roundtables in Pune and Bengaluru to discuss how business and CSOs can collaborate to achieve Sustainability and SDGs and how governments can act as facilitators and enable these collaborations.

In case you this an area of interest and you wish to attend drop us an email with your details on eupop@altairasesores.es or check out the CRB website for updates.

For details on the Global Gateway Project checkout.

Alumni Corner

The Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad famously said, “But when one is young one must see things, gather experience, ideas; enlarge the mind… In this new column our ERASMUS alumni Ayush Gupta and Ronit Bohra talk about their time in the EU and how that shaped what they went on to do and how they continue to build bridges of understanding between the EU and India. So, stay tuned for more first-hand accounts and to get to know your tribe better...

Ayush Gupta
Founder Tassyam Organics

As a recipient of three scholarships (ERASMUS, Charpak, and ESCP). I pursued my Masters in Management in Europe from 2013 to 2016. My experience at various institutions also inspired me to pursue entrepreneurship. With support from professors and the diverse network formed during my studies in Europe, I turned my idea into reality, launching “Tassyam” in 2016. What started out as a semester project, is today, a gourmet foods brand that aims to bring authentic and healthy food products (such as asafoetida, spices, tea, kombucha, dry fruits, preserves and more) to the market, blending modern technologies with traditional roots, while ensuring top-notch quality.

While in Europe I seized all kinds of opportunities that came my way from internships at Pfizer in Paris and Amadeus in Nice, to studying at the Madrid campus, and receiving an ERASMUS scholarship for an exchange program at WHU Vallendar in Germany. This prestigious scholarship facilitated my stay, travels, and overall international student experience. I actively engaged in extracurricular activities such as boxing, hiking, cycling, and squash which enriched my experience, allowing me to have an all-round development while forging connections, and expanding my networks.

Living in four cities across three countries exposed me to diverse cultures, languages, and people from Europe, the US, Canada, Latin America, and China. Maintaining strong relationships with friends from my travels has proved advantageous for my personal growth and also for my business ventures, particularly in exports.

Ronit Bohra
Trainee, European Forest Institute (EFI)

Hailing from the city of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, my inclination towards forests and nature was always there, rather inseparable. This hobby towards nature turned into a professional degree in BSc Forestry for me, which I immensely enjoyed. Little did I know that this forest path would lead me to the hub of forestry studies in Finland through the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree.

My selection journey was nothing less than a rollercoaster ride. Set at a time when the pandemic was at its peak in mid-2021. However, the pandemic itself had a big hand in this journey, as I chanced upon this opportunity, while working from home for the Wildlife Institute of India and had the time to research and apply for the program. I was naïve about the whole thing. Only when I was actually selected to all three programmes I applied to, did the enormity of the opportunity dawn upon me. Being selected for a global scholarship program was overwhelming. The excitement of it all, bidding goodbye to everyone back home, and the move was all too quick to process. Fast forward to today I recently completed my MSc European Forestry from EMJMD.

I spent my first year in Finland, where I had amazing exposure to not only forestry but also Nordic life and culture. I took up a summer internship with a business firm working on a forest bioeconomy project, which also exposed me to professional life in Europe. For my second year I moved to Spain, where all of my experiences were at their peak. Just a month ago, I defended my thesis and so life has been a lot calmer now. Through my course, I learnt a lot about boreal and Mediterranean forests and travelled to the forests of France, Germany, Austria, and Romania. This has been an amazing experience. It gave me a wholesome idea of European forestry, in addition to my knowledge of tropical and sub-tropical forests. Making the most of my time in Europe I personally traveled to Switzerland, Andorra, Belgium, and Italy, making my journey even more fun.

Media Corner

European Commission Executive-Vice President Frans Timmermans recently was in India to discuss the European Green Deal with India ahead of the COP28. Here’s some of what was written about his visit in the Indian press. Global Climate Urgency Is Rising. EU And India Need To Work Together Proposed Carbon Tax Won't Affect Trade Ties With India: EU Climate Chief

DSG Helena KÖNIG was in India on 9 May for the fourth Strategic Partnership review meeting. During the visit, she also spoke with the media. Here’s what she said India, EU Holds 4th Strategic Partnership Review Meeting In Delhi

On the eve of Europe Day Ambassador Ugo Astuto talked about the EU-India ties. Read EU-India Tie-Up Is For Global Common Good