Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha and a top European Union official met recently in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on Digital communications, Digital economy and society.
Andrus Ansip, European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and Vice President of the European Commission met the Indian minister
Both sides stressed that Digital Communications and Technologies are of vital importance for all spheres of society, business and government.
The development and widespread adoption of new ICT services and networks have powerful effects on economic and social development, supporting sustainable growth and competitiveness and contributing to addressing global societal challenges.
Both sides noted the importance of supporting global standards and welcomed the close technical cooperation between the Indian and European Telecom Standardization Development Organizations – TSDSI (India) and ETSI (European Union).
They confirmed their commitment to further strengthen and broaden the cooperation in the field of Digital Communications and Emerging Technologies.
India and the EU will work together to develop joint plans of action in the agreed areas of cooperation such as-future networks and emerging technologies, including 5G,IoT/M2Metc.,promotingR&D and innovation, network security, spectrum management, enhanced capacity development as well as policy and regulatory requirements among others.
EU expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in the area of testing and certification by supporting the visit of Indian Government experts to the European testing and certification laboratories for telecom equipment, with a view to exploring the possibility of India recognizing EU certifications.
EU side also discussed about basic custom duties on some ICT products.
The two sides reaffirmed that regular bilateral dialogue with focused and dedicated approach is essential for steering constructive engagements and promoting future cooperation in the field of Digital Communications.
