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India as a partner of German foreign policy

Author: Wagner, Christian
Publisher: Berlin: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.18449/2024RP17
Source: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/307136/1/1909890634.pdf
Wagne , Ch is ian (Ed.)
Resea ch Repo
India as a pa ne o Ge man o eign policy
SWP Resea ch Pape , No. 17/2024
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Ge man Ins i u e o In e na ional and Secu i y A ai s,
Be lin
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Wagne , Ch is ian (Ed.) (2024) : India as a pa ne o Ge man o eign policy, SWP
Resea ch Pape , No. 17/2024, S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Be lin,
h ps://doi.o g/10.18449/2024RP17
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SWP Resea ch Pape
S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik
Ge man Ins i u e o
In e na ional and Secu i y A ai s
Ch is ian Wagne (ed.)
India as a Pa ne o
Ge man Fo eign Policy
SWP Resea ch Pape 17
No embe 2024, Be lin
Abs ac
∎ In ecen yea s, he Indian Union has expe ienced a signi ican ise in
s a us in Ge man and Eu opean o eign policy. This p ocess has been
uelled by India’s economic dynamism as he as es -g owing democ acy
and i s geopoli ical ole as a pa ne in he Indo-Paci ic agains China’s
hegemonic ambi ions.
∎ Fo Ge many, India is an indispensable bu di icul pa ne . The coun y
will main ain i s s a egic au onomy and use he Sino-Ame ican i al y
o u he i s own geopoli ical ambi ions. Despi e he sha ed commi men
o a ules-based in e na ional o de , he e will con inue o be di e ences
in he assessmen o geopoli ical con lic s, as in he case o Russia’s wa
agains Uk aine.
∎ The ag eemen s on iangula coope a ion and on mig a ion and mobili y
ha e aken Indo-Ge man ela ions o a new le el. The i s join mili a y
exe cises in he summe o 2024, which ul illed India’s long-held wish
o close de ence coope a ion, will help o u he deepen bila e al ela-
ions.
∎ As India is becoming inc easingly impo an in Ge man o eign policy, i
is necessa y o signi ican ly imp o e expe ise on he coun y’s domes ic
and o eign policy de elopmen s in he Ge man academic landscape.
SWP Resea ch Pape
S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik
Ge man Ins i u e o
In e na ional and Secu i y A ai s
Ch is ian Wagne (ed.)
India as a Pa ne o
Ge man Fo eign Policy
SWP Resea ch Pape 17
No embe 2024, Be lin
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ISSN (Online) 1863-1053
DOI: 10.18449/2024RP17
(English e sion o
SWP-S udie 23/2024)

Table o Con en s
5 In oduc ion:
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
Ch is ian Wagne
9 Bleak P ospec s o an EU-India F ee T ade Ag eemen
He ibe Die e
13 India on I s Way o Becoming a Global Ag icul u al
Powe : Challenges o he EU and Ge many
Hanns Gün he Hilpe and Be ina Rudlo
19 De ence Coope a ion wi h India:
Oppo uni ies and Challenges
Pia Fuh hop
23 The Indo-Ge man Mig a ion and Mobili y Pa ne ship
Ag eemen : P og ess and Challenges
Da id Kipp
27 Cybe diploma ic Coope a ion wi h India
Tobias Scholz
31 Appendix
Abb e ia ions
The Au ho s
In oduc ion: India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
5
In ecen yea s, he Indian Union has expe ienced
a signi ican ise in s a us in Ge man and Eu opean
o eign policy. This p ocess has been uelled by
India’s economic dynamism, bu also by he e-e alu-
a ion o China in Wes e n coun ies as a pa ne , com-
pe i o and sys em i al. India sees i sel as he as es -
g owing democ acy and is cu en ly ega ded as one
o he main engines o he global economy due o
g oss domes ic p oduc (GDP) g ow h a es o 6 o 7
pe cen . Fo Wes e n coun ies, India is seen as an
indispensable pa ne in he geopoli ical con lic wi h
China, no leas because o i s democ a ic adi ions.
India, on he o he hand, has conside ed i sel an
impo an playe in he in e na ional sys em since
i s independence in 1947. Fo eign policy decision-
make s see hei coun y as being on an equal oo ing
wi h China, as a leading powe and pole in a mul i-
pola wo ld, as a ep esen a i e o he Global Sou h,
and as a coun e pa o he indus ialised na ions in
global go e nance o ums o in g oups such as BRICS
and he Shanghai Coope a ion O ganisa ion. I is
he e o e unlikely ha India will posi ion i sel uni-
la e ally in he con lic be ween China and he Uni ed
S a es. Unlike China o Russia, howe e , India does
no see i sel as an “an i-Wes e n” coun y, bu as a
“non-Wes e n” one. I in ends o emain ue o i s
o eign policy p inciple o s a egic au onomy and
u ilise he geopoli ical momen o u he i s own
ambi ions o ad ancemen .
India is a global playe by i ue o i s size. Wi h
one-six h o he wo ld’s popula ion, i is he mos
populous coun y and he e o e ca ies g ea weigh
in all issues conce ning he global en i onmen ,
ene gy and clima e. India’s g owing middle class com-
p ises be ween 10 and 30 pe cen o he popula ion,
depending on he de ini ion.
1
Because he coun y
1
Su oji Gup a, “Nea ly 1 in 3 Indians Middle Class, o
Double in 25 Yea s: Repo ”, The Times o India, 2 No embe
2022, h ps:// imeso india.india imes.com/business/india-
has a young popula ion compa ed o many G20 coun-
ies, he go e nmen is hoping o a demog aphic
di idend o a ise om he young age s uc u e. Fo
many companies, India is a pa icula ly a ac i e
u u e ma ke in e ms o consump ion, se ices and
skilled labou po en ial. The successes o he Indian
IT and so wa e indus y, as well as he success ul
unmanned moon landing in he summe o 2023, a e
e idence o he coun y’s g ea echnological p owess.
India is now he i h-la ges economy and will o e -
ake Ge many in a ew yea s.
Today mo e han e e , new in e na ional cons ella-
ions a e enabling India o ake on he in e na ional
ole ha i s ounding a he s aspi ed o. India’s ise
can be seen, among o he hings, in he g owing
numbe o s a egic pa ne ships wi h G20 coun ies.
Howe e , i s success ul ascen will la gely depend on
whe he – and o wha ex en – he go e nmen in
New Delhi can push h ough u gen ly needed s uc-
u al e o ms.
2
Despi e he g ow h achie ed in ecen
yea s, India, wi h a pe capi a income o US$2,485
(2023), only belongs o he g oup o low-middle-
business/middle-class-nea ly-1/3 d-o -indias-popula ion- o-be-
2/3 ds-by-2047- epo /a icleshow/95239621.cms (accessed 28
Feb ua y 2024); “India’s Missing Middle Class”, The Economis ,
11 Janua y 2018, h ps://www.economis .com/b ie ing/2018/
01/11/indias-missing-middle-class (accessed 28 Feb ua y
2024); John Reed, “Gauging India’s Middle-class Oppo u-
ni y”, Financial Times, 17 May 2023, h ps://www. .com/
con en /be53790c-ea16-4e5c-9410-bac189 b2636l (accessed
28 Feb ua y 2024).
2
Ashley J. Tellis, “G asping G ea ness: Making India a
Leading Powe ”, in G asping G ea ness: Making India a Leading
Powe , ed. Ashley J. Tellis, Bibek Deb oy and C. Raja Mohan
(New Delhi: Penguin Random House, 2022), 3–79; Rajesh
Rajagopalan, “Is he Indian S a e Se Up o Powe Maximi-
sa ion?”, ibid., 367–415; Sumi Ganguly and William R.
Thompson, Ascending India and I s S a e Capaci y: Ex ac ion,
Violence, and Legi imacy (New Ha en, CT: Yale Uni e si y
P ess, 2017).
Ch is ian Wagne
In oduc ion: India as a Pa ne o
Ge man Fo eign Policy
Ch is ian Wagne
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
6
income coun ies.
3
In he ecen pas , he Modi go -
e nmen has mainly in es ed in in as uc u e. In
o de o compe e wi h o he Asian eme ging econo-
mies, India mus implemen e o ms, including in he
a eas o labou legisla ion, land acquisi ion and edu-
ca ion. In addi ion, he manu ac u ing sec o mus
be expanded in o de o c ea e u gen ly needed jobs.
Only h ough such e o ms can he demog aphic
di idend be ealised and he high GDP g ow h a es
ha a e expec ed o make India a de eloped economy
by 2047 – he cen ena y o i s independence – be
achie ed.
Indo-Ge man ela ions
India and Ge many ha e adi ionally enjoyed a good
bila e al ela ionship. The Fede al Republic o Ge -
many and India es ablished diploma ic ela ions in
1951, and in he mid-1950s de elopmen coope a ion
began, which con inues o his day. In 2000, he wo
coun ies ag eed on a s a egic pa ne ship. The in e -
go e nmen al consul a ions ha ha e aken place
e e y wo yea s since 2011 a e an exp ession o he
special poli ical ela ionship.
The e is a g ea deal o con e gence be ween he
wo coun ies conce ning hei suppo o a ules-
based in e na ional o de . Toge he wi h B azil and
Japan, Ge many and India a e wo king in he G oup
o Fou (G4) in a ou o e o ming he Uni ed
Na ions and a e s i ing o a pe manen sea on he
Secu i y Council.
In i s Indo-Paci ic Guidelines o au umn 2020, he
Ge man go e nmen ecognised India’s new geopoli i-
cal impo ance. The di e si ica ion o Ge many’s ela-
ions wi h he Indo-Paci ic coun ies has also led o a
signi ican in ensi ica ion o coope a ion wi h India
since hen, bo h a he le el o heads o go e nmen
and a he le el o minis ies. In 2022, he wo sides
ag eed on a pa ne ship o g een and sus ainable de-
elopmen , a hyd ogen pa ne ship and ag eemen s
on iangula coope a ion, mig a ion and mobili y.
Due o i s democ a ic adi ions, India is also seen
as a “ alue pa ne ” in Ge many and o he Wes e n
coun ies. Howe e , he quali y o Indian democ acy
has de e io a ed conside ably since he Indian People’s
Pa y (BJP) won he pa liamen a y elec ions and P ime
3
Wo ld Bank, GDP Pe Capi a (Cu en US$) – India, h ps://
da a.wo ldbank.o g/indica o /NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?loca ions=IN
(accessed 4 Sep embe 2024).
Minis e Na end a Modi ook o ice in 2014. As a
esul , India has been downg aded in some ecog-
nised democ acy indices in ecen yea s. The es ic-
ions agains ci il socie y also a ec a numbe o
Ge man de elopmen o ganisa ions as well as poli i-
cal ounda ions and hei Indian pa ne o ganisa-
ions.
In geopoli ical e ms, he e a e a numbe o di e -
ences be ween India and Ge many. In line wi h i s
concep o s a egic au onomy, India’s commi men
o a ules-based in e na ional o de has i s limi s
when i in ol es es ic ions on na ional so e eign y.
Fo example, India has no joined any mili a y alli-
ances and is no a membe o he Nuclea Non-P oli -
e a ion T ea y o he In e na ional C iminal Cou .
4
India’s con inued close coope a ion wi h Russia, de-
spi e i s wa agains Uk aine, emphasises how much
impo ance India places on i s s a egic au onomy
and he di e ences be ween he iews o India and
Ge many on geopoli ical con lic s.
Ge many and he Wes e n coun ies ha e accep ed
India’s s ance. In esponse o India’s neu al posi ion
in he Uk aine wa , he Uni ed S a es and he Eu o-
pean Union (EU) ha e launched new o ma s o
s eng hen echnological coope a ion wi h India, such
as he Ini ia i e on C i ical and Eme ging Technology
(iCET) and he T ade and Technology Council (TTC).
The aim is o educe India’s dependence on Russia
and in ensi y s a egic coope a ion wi h India so ha
i can ac as a coun e weigh o China.
The common in e es o India and he Wes e n
coun ies in coun e ing China’s hegemonic and e i-
o ial ambi ions in he Indo-Paci ic has gi en ise o
new minila e al o ma s. India is pa o he Quad i-
la e al Secu i y Dialogue (Quad) wi h Aus alia, Japan
and he Uni ed S a es, and i is wo king wi h powe s
such as Japan, F ance and Aus alia in new minila -
e al o ma s. In he summe o 2024, Ge man uni s
ook pa in a mul ina ional mili a y manoeu e in
India o he i s ime. This has opened he doo o
close secu i y policy coope a ion, which India has
long been calling o in he a ea o de ence policy.
The economy is a he cen e o Indo-Ge man ela-
ions. The olume o ade is con inuously inc easing.
T ade in goods g ew om €23.3 billion in 2021 o an
4
These di e ing pe spec i es also epea edly bu den nego-
ia ions in indi idual policy a eas; see he ollowing con i-
bu ions in he s udy.
India on I s Way o Becoming a Global Ag icul u al Powe : Challenges o he EU and Ge many
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
13
Wi h he excep ion o being included in de elop-
men policy, ag icul u e has no been he ocus o
Eu opean and Ge man India policy o da e. This
could change in he u u e. India’s ag icul u al sec o ,
which is gene ally associa ed wi h echnical unde -
de elopmen , eudalis ic s uc u es and an ine icien
planned economy, has managed o con inually
expand i s p oduc ion olumes o e he yea s. As a
esul , India is becoming an inc easingly impo an
playe on he wo ld’s ag icul u al ma ke s. The po en-
ial i o e s is good news when conside ing he global
igh agains hunge and malnu i ion. Howe e ,
India is implemen ing a wide ange o ade- es ic-
i e measu es ha no only a ec he ag icul u al
expo s o i s compe i o s, bu can also d i e up p ices
in e na ionally and jeopa dise he secu i y o supply
in hi d coun ies. India is also likely o main ain i s
con lic -p one posi ions in he Wo ld T ade O ganiza-
ion (WTO). The Eu opean Union (EU) and Ge many
mus he e o e p epa e hemsel es o a powe ul
India in he ag icul u al sec o , as i is compe ing in
pa o simila ma ke s and, unlike B azil, o exam-
ple, is much mo e in e en ionis in e ms o ade
and ag icul u al policy.
India’s ag icul u al sec o and Indian
ag icul u al and ade policy
Al hough ag icul u e only accoun ed o 16 pe cen
o g oss domes ic p oduc in India in 2023, a ound 43
pe cen o he coun y’s wo k o ce is s ill ac i e in
he ag icul u al sec o . A good wo- hi ds o he popu-
la ion s ill li e in u al egions.
1
Al hough India has
ex ensi e e ile a mland, p oduc ion condi ions a e
o en di icul . Ha es s a e la gely dependen on
1
Wo ld Bank, Wo ld De elopmen Indica o s, 2024.
i iga ion om monsoon ains and a e inc easingly
exposed o wea he isks, o example, loods and
d ough s. Wa e sca ci y is a p oblem, oo – pa ly
due o alling g oundwa e le els and pa ly due o
geopoli ical con lic s wi h China and Pakis an o e
he egula ion o ibu a ies ac oss he Himalayas.
The o al numbe o a ms – some o which a e
e y small – is es ima ed a be ween 146 and 155
million (da a a ailabili y is de icien ); he a e age
a m size has allen o almos one hec a e due o
he di ision o he a mland in he case o he i age.
2
Ag icul u al p oduc i i y le els in India a e also low.
Ne e heless, he coun y has de eloped in o one
o he wo ld’s mos impo an p oduce s o many
ag icul u al commodi ies: India is he wo ld leade
in he p oduc ion o milk and bu e . Rice p oduc-
ion has quad upled since he 1960s and is only jus
behind ha o China. India has become he hi d-
la ges p oduce o whea behind China and he EU.
India’s p oduc ion success has also led o ex ensi e
expo s, o example o ice, ish and co on, e en
hough sel -su iciency emains he p ima y goal o
India’s ag icul u al policy.
Food secu i y as he guiding p inciple
A e cen u ies o expe iencing hunge and malnu-
i ion, India is s ill a isk o hunge . Acco ding o
he Food and Ag icul u e O ganiza ion o he Uni ed
Na ions, 16.6 pe cen o he Indian popula ion was
unde nou ished in 2023. Al hough his was a sligh
imp o emen compa ed o he u n o he millenni-
2
Fede al Minis y o Food and Ag icul u e (BMEL), Lände -
be ich Indien (Be lin, May 2021), 6, h ps://www.ag a expo
oe de ung.de/ ileadmin/SITE_MASTER/con en / iles/Laende
be ich _2021/Laende be ich _INDIEN_2021.pd (accessed
8 Augus 2024).
Hanns Gün he Hilpe and Be ina Rudlo
India on I s Way o Becoming a Global
Ag icul u al Powe : Challenges o he
EU and Ge many

Hanns Gün he Hilpe and Be ina Rudlo
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
14
um, i was a decline compa ed o he yea s be o e he
Co id c isis. Food secu i y is he e o e he adi ional
guiding p inciple o Indian ag icul u al policy, en-
sh ined in law in he Na ional Food Secu i y Ac ,
passed in 2013. I s ipula es ha up o h ee-qua e s
o he u al popula ion and hal o he u ban popu-
la ion a e en i led o a minimum supply o g ain a
hea ily subsidised p ices. A public in e en ion sys-
em ensu es ha he s aple oods p oduced a e
pu chased a pu chase p ices and s o ed in cen al
wa ehouses, om whe e hey a e dis ibu ed o hose
in need a a educed p ice o ee o cha ge. In addi-
ion o he minimum p ices, ag icul u al p oduc ion
is suppo ed wi h subsidies o e ilise , elec ici y
and seeds.
3
This sys em elie es consume s o he
bu den, as e lec ed in he unusually high es ima e
o +44.2 pe cen (2022) by he O ganisa ion o Eco-
nomic Co-ope a ion and De elopmen o ma ke -
ela ed ans e s o ood consume s – in con as ,
he EU nega i e igu e is -2.9 pe cen , indica ing a
bu den o he Eu opean consume .
4
Howe e , his in e en ionis policy has inhibi ed
p oduc i i y g ow h and also ailed o elimina e
hunge and malnu i ion. The low pu chase p ices
a e a disincen i e o p oduc ion, in es men and
inno a ion and a e a bu den o p oduce s. The poo
in as uc u e and esul ing p oblems wi h s o age,
anspo , e ige a ion, so ing and quali y con ol
also esul in conside able losses in he supply chains.
The sys em is also c i icised o widesp ead co up ion.
Indian ood secu i y has g ea
symbolic alue o he popula ion and
he ag icul u al sec o .
Ne e heless, he supply and pu chase gua an ees
ha e g ea symbolic alue o he popula ion and
he ag icul u al sec o . When a e o m ini ia i e o
libe alise and de egula e ag icul u al ma ke s was
ini ia ed in 2020/21, a me s eac ed wi h he mos
iolen and p olonged p o es s in Delhi and no h-
wes India in his o y. I was ea ed ha he coun y’s
ag icul u al sec o would in u u e be exposed o
in e na ional compe i ion and he ma ke powe o
3
Ibid., 24–27; OECD, Ag icul u al Policies in India, OECD
Food and Ag icul u al Re iews (Pa is: OECD Publishing,
2018), 153–86.
4
OECD, Ag icul u al Policy Moni o ing and E alua ion 2023:
Adap ing Ag icul u e o Clima e Change (Pa is: OECD Publishing,
2023), 349, 285, doi: 10.1787/b14en474-en.
la ge ag icul u al companies, especially as i was also
planned o p omo e con ac a ming wi h la ge
companies. P ime Minis e Na end a Modi e en ually
wi hd ew he legisla i e package, as elec ions we e
imminen .
5
Ag icul u al ade: Inc easing wo ld
ma ke sha es wi h majo p o ec ion
India’s in e en ionis ag icul u al policy, which is
aimed a na ional sel -su iciency, sepa a es he coun-
y om de elopmen s on he global ma ke : In o de
o p o ec domes ic p oduc ion, India mus ine i ably
in e ene in o eign ade. Ta i s and a i quo as
p o ec he domes ic ma ke agains cheape o highe -
quali y ag icul u al p oduc s om ab oad. India’s
a e age applied ag icul u al a i s, which a e subjec
o he Mos Fa ou ed Na ion p inciple, a e al eady
excep ionally high: In 2023, hey amoun ed o 39.0
pe cen (EU: 10.8 pe cen ). They a e allowed o e en
inc ease signi ican ly due o India’s high WTO-bound
ag icul u al a i s o 113.1 pe cen on a e age (un-
like in he EU, which has a maximum a i o only
11.3 pe cen ).
6
On he expo side, equen ly used
expo es ic ions a e in ended o secu e he supply
o he domes ic ma ke .
Despi e hese in e en ions, India’s ag icul u al
ade has de eloped dynamically in ecen yea s. Rele-
an impo s o India a e ege able oils, ui , pulses
and nu s. On he expo side, India is one o he domi-
nan supplie s o many ag icul u al and ood p oduc s,
meaning ha Indian ag icul u al and ade policy
has in e na ional in luence: India is he global expo
leade in spices and ice, wi h expo sha es o jus
o e 37 and almos 36 pe cen , espec i ely (2023)
7
;
in suga i is in second place behind B azil in e ms o
5
Flo ian Wenke, “Indisches Pa lamen s opp Libe alisie-
ung des Ag a sek o s” (Be lin: Ge many T ade and In es ,
23 No embe 2021), h ps://www.g ai.de/de/ ade/indien/
b anchen/indisches-pa lamen -s opp -libe alisie ung-des-
ag a sek o s-758726 (accessed 8 Augus 2024).
6
Wo ld T ade O ganiza ion (WTO) Ta i P o iles, h ps://
www.w o.o g/english/ es_e/publica ions_e/wo ld_ a i _
p o iles24_e.h m (accessed 15 Oc obe 2024).
7
“Top 10 Global Spices Expo e s in 2023”, Tenda a,
29 No embe 2023 (blog), h ps://www. enda a.com/blogs/
adeda a/5068.h ml (accessed 5 Sep embe 2024); “Rice
Impo -Expo T ade S a is ics o 2023”, T adeImeX, 20 Janu-
a y 2024, h ps://www. adeimex.in/blogs/Rice-T ade-impo -
expo -S a is ics-o -2023 (accessed 13 Augus 2024).
India on I s Way o Becoming a Global Ag icul u al Powe : Challenges o he EU and Ge many
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
15
olume (2022/23)
8
; in co on i is in hi d place behind
China and he Uni ed S a es wi h a sha e o 11.4 pe
cen (2022).
9
India is he ou h mos impo an
expo e o bee (mainly bu alo mea ) behind B azil,
Aus alia and he Uni ed S a es (2023),
10
and i is one
o he op i e expo e s o ish in addi ion o anking
en h wo ldwide o whea (2022).
11
The key des ina ions o Indian expo s a e i s
neighbou ing coun ies in Sou h Asia, coun ies in
he Middle Eas and Sou h Eas Asia as well as China,
Japan, he Uni ed S a es and he EU. Ge many, o-
ge he wi h he Ne he lands and I aly, is one o i s
mos impo an Eu opean ag icul u al ading pa -
ne s.
Con e sely, om he EU’s pe spec i e, India has so
a been o li le impo ance as an ag icul u al ading
pa ne : Only 0.6 pe cen o Eu opean ag icul u al
expo s go o India, while 2.1 pe cen o Eu opean
ag icul u al impo s come om he e (2023). Eu ope
expo s ege able oils, dai y p oduc s, ui , nu s and
alcoholic be e ages o India. In pa icula , expo s o
g ains, ege able oils, ege ables, ui and nu s ha e
inc eased ecen ly (2014–2022). Eu ope’s mos essen-
ial impo s om India a e co ee, ea, cocoa, spices,
ma ga ine and ege able oils, ui , nu s and ce eals.
12
8
Uni ed S a es Depa men o Ag icul u e, Suga : Wo ld
Ma ke s and T ade (Washing on, D.C., May 2024), 1, 8, h ps://
apps. as.usda.go /psdonline/ci cula s/suga .pd (accessed
13 Augus 2024).
9
“Co on”, Obse a o y o Economic Complexi y (OEC), h ps://
oec.wo ld/en/p o ile/hs/co on (accessed 13 Augus 2024).
10
“India Bee Expo s Up and U.S. Bee Expo s Down in
2023: Ma ke Analysis”, Expo Genius, 14 Ma ch 2024, h ps://
www.expo genius.in/blog/india-bee -expo s-up-and-us-bee -
expo s-down-in-2023-ma ke -analysis-766.php (accessed
12 Augus 2024).
11
“Whea in India”, OEC, h ps://oec.wo ld/en/p o ile/
bila e al-p oduc /whea / epo e /ind (accessed 5 Sep embe
2024).
12
Eu opean Commission, Di ec o a e-Gene al o Ag i-
cul u e and Ru al De elopmen , Ag i-Food T ade S a is ical
Fac shee : Eu opean Union – India (B ussels, 19 Ap il 2024),
h ps://ag icul u e.ec.eu opa.eu/sys em/ iles/2023-05/ag i ood-
india_en.pd ; Obse e Resea ch Founda ion and Jacques
Delo s Ins i u e, India and he Eu opean Union in 2030: Building
a Close Economic Rela ionship (New Delhi, June 2023), 93,
h ps://ins i u delo s.eu/wp-con en /uploads/2023/06/India-and-
he-Eu opean-Union-in-2030.pd (accessed 8 Augus 2024).
In e na ional ag icul u al policy
con lic issues
India is known o be a sel -con iden nego ia ing pa -
ne ha does no shy away om e using o comp o-
mise in con lic s:
∎ In 2008, he Doha wo ld ade alks ailed due o
he i econcilable posi ions o India and he Uni ed
S a es, pa icula ly conce ning he ag icul u al
sec o : Whe eas he Uni ed S a es demanded ha
de eloping and eme ging coun ies educe hei
some imes high ag icul u al a i s, India insis ed
on an ag icul u al sa egua d clause ha allows a
lexible aise in a i s o p o ec he ma ke . Up o
now, his has mainly been pe mi ed o de eloped
coun ies in he No h as an au oma ic esponse o
wo ld ma ke p ices alling.
∎ In 2013, India blocked he WTO ag eemen on
ade acili a ion and called o a pe manen eas-
ing o subsidy ules o ag icul u al ese es. India
has so a e used o a i y he WTO ag eemen
on ishe ies subsidies adop ed in 2022 (Fish I) and
is also esis ing ongoing nego ia ions on an amend-
ing ag eemen conce ning s ic e measu es (Fish
II).
13
∎ India egula ly uses he goal o ood secu i y o jus-
i y measu es such as expo es ic ions and ex en-
si e ese es, which en ail cos s and isks o o he
coun ies and a e hea ily c i icised in e na ionally.
14
F equen expo es ic ions wi h
supply isks o o he s
India epea edly es ic s i s expo s o p oduc s ha
a e ele an o global supply secu i y such as ice
and whea . Wi h high wo ld ma ke sha es, such a
sho age o supply on he global ma ke can d i e
up p ices.
15
In 2022, o example, India es ic ed i s
13
Pe e Ungphako n, “Uncomp omising India S ee s WTO
Fishe ies Subsidy alks owa ds Win e ”, ade ß blog, 24 July
2024, h ps:// adebe ablog.wo dp ess.com/2024/07/23/w o-
ish- alks-heading-win e / (accessed 25 Oc obe 2024).
14
Sanjee Kuma , “E ec o T ade Nego ia ions on Food
Secu i y in India: A Desc ip i e Analysis”, in T ade Nego ia-
ions unde WTO: Issues be o e De eloping Wo ld, ed. idem (New
Delhi, 2016), 228, h ps://www. esea chga e.ne /publica ion/
369256094_E ec _o _T ade_Nego ia ions_on_ ood_Secu i y_
in_India-A_Desc ip i e_Analysis (accessed 9 Augus 2024).
15
Ha old Glenn A. Vale a, Ashok K. Mish a, Vale ien O.
Pede, Takashi Yamano and Da id Dawe, “Domes ic and
In e na ional Impac s o Rice Expo Res ic ions: The Recen
Hanns Gün he Hilpe and Be ina Rudlo
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
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whea expo s, ci ing conce ns abou supply isks as
a esul o Russia’s wa o agg ession agains Uk aine;
as he wa had d i en up whea p ices anyway, he
Indian expo es ic ions led o a u he igh ening
o he whea ma ke . The same applies o he es ic-
ions on ice expo s in 2023 ollowing he wea he -
ela ed p oduc ion losses in Thailand and Vie nam;
he global ma ke p ice o ice ose by an es ima ed
22 pe cen due o India’s es ic ions,
16
which we e
sha ply c i icised in e na ionally.
17
The Indian go e nmen jus i ies i s expo es ic-
ions wi h p o ec ing supply secu i y o i s own
popula ion. Unde WTO law, such quan i a i e expo
es ic ions, which a e o he wise p ohibi ed, a e pe -
mi ed p ecisely o his pu pose. Howe e , hey may
only be applied o a limi ed pe iod o ime and he
supply isks o he impo ing coun ies conce ned
mus be aken in o accoun . Due o he cu en global
inc ease in such es ic ions since he s a o he
co ona i us pandemic, he in e na ional communi y
has emphasised he impo ance o open ade and
he isks o expo es ic ions: In June 2022, he 12 h
WTO Minis e ial Con e ence adop ed a “Minis e ial
Decision on Wo ld Food P og amme [WFP] Food Pu -
chases Exemp ion om Expo P ohibi ions o Res ic-
ions”.
18
In May 2022, he G7 coun ies pledged o
e ain om expo es ic ions and o con ibu e
owa ds he s abilisa ion o wo ld ma ke s.
19
In esponse o in e na ional c i icism o i s expo
es ic ions – and in o de o alle ia e supply bo le-
Case o Indian Non-Basma i Rice”, Global Food Secu i y 41 (2024),
a icle 100754, doi: 10.1016/j.g s.2024.100754.
16
Joseph Glaube and Abdullah Mamun, “India’s Expo
Res ic ions on Rice Con inue o Dis up Global Ma ke s,
Supplies, and P ices”, IFPRI Blog (Washing on, D.C.: In e -
na ional Food Policy Resea ch Ins i u e, 7 Feb ua y 2024),
h ps://www.i p i.o g/blog/indias-expo - es ic ions- ice-
con inue-dis up -global-ma ke s-supplies-and-p ices/ (accessed
9 Augus 2024).
17
Sh u i Menon, “India Whea Expo Ban: Why I Ma e s
o he Wo ld”, BBC News, 6 June 2022, h ps://www.bbc.com/
news/wo ld-asia-india-61590756 (accessed 9 Augus 2024).
18
WTO, Minis e ial Decision on Wo ld Food P og amme Food
Pu chases Exemp ion om Expo P ohibi ions o Res ic ions (Wash-
ing on, D.C., 22 June 2022), h ps://docs.w o.o g/dol2 e/Pages/
SS/di ec doc.aspx? ilename=q:/WT/MIN22/29.pd &Open=T ue
(accessed 9 Augus 2024).
19
G7, Pa hways Towa ds Sus ainable Food Sys ems in Times
o C ises (Be lin, 14 May 2022), h ps://www.g7ge many.de/
esou ce/blob/997532/2040144/8bd6097641a2c66114d95a
2615c4d01d/2022-05-16-g7-ag a minis e -eng-da a.pd ?
download=1 (accessed 25 Oc obe 2024).
necks – India ag eed supply con ac s wi h o eign
go e nmen s (s a e go e nmen - o-go e nmen (“G2G”)
supplies), o example wi h Senegal, Indonesia and
Gambia. Such exclusi e ag eemen s also se e geo-
poli ical pu poses. Howe e , despi e commi men s
o he con a y, India did no pa icipa e in p o iding
ice as gene al humani a ian aid ha was deli e ed
by WFP o coun ies such as Came oon, Togo and
Alge ia.
Ex ensi e ese es wi h he po en ial o
dis o he ma ke
India’s ex ensi e s a e g ain s ockpile is based on
pu chases a minimum p ices; hese s ocks a e used
o supply needy households a a educed p ice o
ee o cha ge. In 2022, he cos o s ockpiling o alled
US$850 million. Mo e han 800 million people ecei ed
bene i s om he sys em.
20
India is one o mo e han
30 WTO membe s a es ha cu en ly ha e no i ied
such supply ese es o he WTO.
21
The WTO Ag eemen on Ag icul u e o 1994 allows
ood s ocks o suppo consume s on condi ion ha
hey a e ma ke -neu al, ha is, hey do no dis o
ade. Acco ding o he logic o he ag eemen , his
means hese s ocks a e designed as a “g een box”
measu e. Howe e , c i icism is le elled a he com-
pa a i ely e y ex ensi e ese es in India in pa icu-
la , which a e buil up ia minimum p ices and hus
subsidies. I hese dis o he ma ke , hey should be
limi ed in acco dance wi h he WTO egula ions o
“yellow box” measu es.
22
These cu en egula ions o ag icul u al subsidies
in gene al a e c i icised by nume ous coun ies o he
Global Sou h, including India, o a ou ing he ich
coun ies. One bone o con en ion is he uppe limi s
20
Ree ika Khe a, “Expand he Food Sa e y Ne wi hou
Any Mo e Delay”, The Hindu, 10 Decembe 2022, h ps://www.
hehindu.com/opinion/lead/expand- he- ood-sa e y-ne -wi hou -
any-mo e-delay/a icle66244093.ece (accessed 9 Augus 2024).
21
Joe Glaube and Tan i Sinha, P ocu ing Food S ocks unde
Wo ld T ade O ganisa ion Fa m Subsidy Rules: Finding a Pe manen
Solu ion, IISD Repo (Winnipeg, Canada: In e na ional Ins i-
u e o Sus ainable De elopmen , Augus 2021), 15, h ps://
www.iisd.o g/publica ions/ ood-p ocu emen -unde -w o-
a m-subsidy- ules (accessed 9 Augus 2024).
22
Cal in Manduna and Sophia Mu phy, Public S ocks a he
WTO: Making Sense o Food Secu i y and Ag icul u e Nego ia ions a
MC13 (Minneapolis, MN: Ins i u e o Ag icul u e and T ade
Policy, Feb ua y 2024), h ps://www.ia p.o g/public-s ocks-w o
(accessed 9 Augus 2024).
India on I s Way o Becoming a Global Ag icul u al Powe : Challenges o he EU and Ge many
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
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o subsidies, which a e de ined in he same “yellow
box”: The unde lying p ice le el has no been ad-
jus ed since he Ag eemen on Ag icul u e was signed.
Because p ices ha e isen in he mean ime, subsidies
o p oduce s a e now eaching he uppe limi s
much mo e quickly, which also es ic s India’s oom
o manoeu e o in oduce new subsidies. The long-
simme ing con lic on subsidy egula ions a he WTO
le el in gene al escala ed du ing he 9 h Minis e ial
Con e ence in Bali in 2013, when India blocked he
ag eemen on ade acili a ion a e i s adop ion,
o cing a gene al concession on i s subsidies o ood
s ockpiles. This “Bali in e im solu ion” was supposed
o be ans o med in o a pe manen solu ion wi hin
wo yea s, bu i has since been main ained as he
con lic emains un esol ed.
23
Ag icul u e in he nego ia ions on a
bila e al ade ag eemen
India and he EU ha e been enego ia ing a ee ade
ag eemen since mid-2022, ollowing a i s ailed
a emp in 2013 ha had las ed se en yea s. The
new nego ia ions co e he a eas o ade, in es men
p o ec ion and geog aphical indica ions (GIs). Ag i-
cul u e plays a key ole in bo h ade and GIs.
24
A bila e al ade ag eemen can
expand ag icul u al ade and hus
inc ease wel a e.
Due o he cu en high le el o bo de p o ec ion
due o a i s, pa icula ly on he Indian side, he e
is a good chance ha a ade ag eemen can expand
ade and hus inc ease wel a e. Beyond he di ec
ade measu es egula ed in he ag eemen , such as
he educ ion o a i s, India could also bene i in
gene al e ms o de elopmen and s uc u al ad an-
23
Am i a Na lika and Diana Tussie, “B eak h ough a
Bali? Explana ions, A e ma h, Implica ions”, In e na ional
Nego ia ion 21, no. 2 (2016): 209–32, h ps://b ill.com/ iew/
jou nals/ine /21/2/a icle-p209_2.xml; Be ina Rudlo , T ade
Rules and Food Secu i y: Scope o Domes ic Suppo and Food S ocks
(Bonn: Deu sche Gesellscha ü In e na ionale Zusammen-
a bei [GIZ], Sep embe 2015).
24
Hanns Gün he Hilpe , Be ina Rudlo and Ch is ian
Wagne , Nego ia ions on a F ee T ade Ag eemen be ween India
and he EU: Ambi ions, Expec a ions, Obs acles, and Incen i es, SWP
Commen 11/2023 (Be lin: S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik,
Feb ua y 2023), doi: 10.18449/2023C11.
ages, namely as a esul o echnical and comme cial
coope a ion as well as Eu opean in es men in ag i-
cul u e and he ood indus y.
25
Howe e , as compe i-
ion in ensi ies, he e will also be lose s, which could
p o oke esis ance om a ec ed in e es g oups on
bo h he Indian and Eu opean sides.
Wi h ega d o he cen al issue o e e y ade ag ee-
men – ma ke access – ex e nal p o ec ion mus be
educed mo e on he Indian side han on he EU side;
he eason o his is India’s highe a i s. Poul y
and dai y p oduc s a e pa icula ly sensi i e i ems
o India, he e o e no ag eemen could be eached
du ing he bila e al nego ia ions om 2007 o 2013.
India jus i ied impo bans on nume ous poul y
p oduc s on he g ounds o p o ec ion agains a ian
in luenza; a WTO complain b ough agains he
coun y by he Uni ed S a es in 2012 was inally won
in 2024. As a esul , India should open up i s ma -
ke .
26
India’s milk p oduc ion is gea ed owa ds he
domes ic ma ke and is small-scale; p oduc i i y is
lowe han ha o Eu opean milk p oduce s. I seems
poli ically di icul o imagine India’s ma ke p o ec-
ion being emo ed by opening up he ma ke .
Addi ional ma ke access ba ie s a ise om he
en isaged heal h p o ec ion measu es, which is
poli ically a highly sensi i e issue, especially on he
EU side o all o i s ade nego ia ions. A numbe
o sani a y and phy osani a y (SPS) measu es a e con-
side ed di icul o comply wi h – such as he EU
ules on impo ing ice, co on, ui and ege ables –
om an Indian pe spec i e, and he Indian ules o
impo ing wine, spi i s and dai y p oduc s om an
EU pe spec i e.
27
In he nego ia ions, bo h sides will
ha e o ag ee on adjus men s o elimina e, o a leas
educe, disc imina o y elemen s o he SPS measu es,
bu wi hou jeopa dising he heal h p o ec ion goal:
Be ween 2020 and 2023 alone, he e we e mo e han
25
Ag icul u e has adi ionally been a ocus o Ge man
and Eu opean de elopmen coope a ion wi h India. Fo
example, he Indo-Ge man ag icul u al dialogue p o ides
o suppo o be e ma ke s uc u es, such as in he Indo-
Ge man coope a ion p ojec o he de elopmen o he ag i-
cul u al ma ke o he BMEL, h ps://www.bmel.de/Sha edDocs/
P axisbe ich /DE/BKP/Indien.h ml (accessed 11 Oc obe 2024).
26
WTO, India – Ag icul u al P oduc s (DS430), WTO Dispu e
Se lemen : One-Page Case Summa ies (Washing on, D.C.,
n.d.), h ps://www.w o.o g/english/ a op_e/dispu_e/cases_e/
1pagesum_e/ds430sum_e.pd (accessed 9 May 2024).
27
Kuma Chandan and Bha i Nalin, “Indo-EU Ag icul u -
al T ade: T ade Res ic ions and SPS Measu es”, Óbuda Uni-
e si y e-Bulle in 8, no. 1 (2018): 13–23 (16–20).
Hanns Gün he Hilpe and Be ina Rudlo
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
18
972 no i ica ions o he highes isk obse ed in he
EU’s ale sys em abou esidues in ood p oduc s im-
po ed om India. This is 10 pe cen o all no i ica-
ions on all o igins and a disp opo iona ely high
numbe compa ed o o he coun ies in ela ion o
ade lows.
28
I shows ha close coope a ion is
needed and ha India should ecei e suppo in o de
o help i comply wi h he SPS measu es. Fo exam-
ple, imp o ed labo a o y con ols o in es men s in
hygiene a e concei able and can be o e ed by he
EU in he nego ia ions.
GIs can make i possible o asse one’s own ag i-
cul u al in e es s beyond poli ically sensi i e ma ke
access by p o ec ing selec ed quali y p oduc s. A e
six ounds, nego ia ions on his opic a e now ela-
i ely ad anced, o example on he implemen a ion
and con ol egime. P o ec ion is ini ially o be
g an ed o a o al o 200 GIs. This is a common s a -
ing numbe in EU nego ia ions, which can hen be
g adually inc eased – o example o 375 GIs in he
EU-Japan ag eemen . This “li ing” app oach o e s
scope o expansion e en a e he nego ia ions ha e
been concluded, meaning ha non-ag icul u al p od-
uc s desi ed by India, such as handic a p oduc s,
could also be included in he u u e.
The opic o sus ainabili y in he con ex o ag icul-
u e has ound i s way in o he nego ia ions on he
ade ag eemen , a he ini ia i e o he EU, which
includes a chap e on “Sus ainable ood sys ems”.
This chap e is con ained in all new EU ade ag ee-
men s. Howe e , unlike he usual sec o -wide “ ade
and sus ainabili y de elopmen ” (TSD) chap e s,
which inc easingly demand binding and sanc ionable
du ies, his non-binding chap e only p omo es bi-
la e al hema ic exchange. I will likely be e y di i-
cul o o mula e a binding TSD chap e wi h India
anyway, o i migh equi e e en mo e a - eaching
o e s o suppo han hose cu en ly being made o
he Me cosu egion wi h ega d o TSD obliga ions.
The EU al eady anyhow equi es compliance wi h
ce ain sus ainabili y c i e ia o ag icul u al impo s
(due diligence obliga ions, de o es a ion- ee alue
chains) o be applied by each ade pa ne , ega dless
o ongoing ade policy nego ia ions.
India gene ally emphasises i s so e eign y in sus-
ainabili y issues and p io i ises i s in e nal secu i y
o supply, which could possibly s and in he way o
sus ainable p oduc ion. I he Indian popula ion –
28
Eu opean Commission, Rapid Ale Sys em o Food and Feed
(RASFF) Window, h ps://bi .ly/4gkOVF (accessed 9 Augus 2024).
and hus he demand o ood – con inues o g ow,
he in ensi y o land use and o e - e ilisa ion, o
example, could inc ease; and i land use expands,
India would un he isk o losing biodi e si y.
Conclusion:
EU comp omises a e necessa y
India is a sel -con iden playe ha uncomp omising-
ly pu sues i s own ag icul u al in e es s. Howe e ,
i is also an a ac i e ma ke , an in e es ing supplie
egion and an indispensable coope a ion pa ne o
he EU and Ge many. India’s g owing p oduc ion
and ade po en ial in pa icula makes i necessa y
o ake his majo ag icul u al playe se iously and
p epa e o he ac ha i s in luence on he wo ld
ma ke and he secu i y o global supply will (con-
inue o) inc ease. The nego ia ions on a ade ag ee-
men o e he EU and India an oppo uni y o come
close oge he and esol e con lic s, and i necessa y
o explo e compensa ion in o he policy a eas. Ge -
many and Eu ope should o e India mo e echnical
coope a ion so ha i can inc ease i s p oduc i i y
and yields and s ill be sus ainable. A he same ime,
India, which sees i sel as a leading na ion in he
Global Sou h, should be eminded ha – despi e
p io i ising i s own supply secu i y – i also bea s
esponsibili y o he ood secu i y o low-income
coun ies in need o cheap ood impo s o o ood
aid ha is based on a ailable global supplies.

De ence Coope a ion wi h India: Oppo uni ies and Challenges
SWP Be lin
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India is an especially signi ican ac o in he in e na-
ional de ence ma ke . The coun y’s a med o ces
will equi e a g ea deal o mode nisa ion in he o e-
seeable u u e. Since 2014, he go e nmen in New
Delhi has been ca ying ou s uc u al e o ms o he
a med o ces. I has also exp essed i s ambi ion o
signi ican ly indigenise de ence p oduc ion. Howe e ,
India’s mili a y emains hea ily dependen on im-
po s. Gi en he size o i s a med o ces, hese o de s
a e o en e y la ge. Es ima es pu he likely cos o
cu en mode nisa ion p og ammes a as much as
US$200 billion o e he nex 10 yea s.
1
India’s secu i y
policy is ocussed on he dange s posed by China’s
p esence in Sou h Asia and i s occasionally hea ed
bo de dispu es wi h he coun y. India’s ongoing
con lic wi h Pakis an also plays a key ole.
Agains his backd op, he e is in ense compe i ion
among o eign companies and pa ne s a es o
Indian de ence con ac s. Acco ding o he Swedish
In e na ional Peace Resea ch Ins i u e (SIPRI), he
coun y has been he wo ld’s la ges a ms impo e
since he ea ly 1990s. F om 2018 o 2022, 11 pe cen
o global a ms expo s wen o India.
2
Al hough
India’s own a ms expo s ha e also isen conside ably
ecen ly, hese s a ed om a low le el and ha e mos ly
concen a ed on cus ome s in Sou h Asia.
3
1
K. Alan K ons ad , India-U.S.: Majo A ms T ans e s and
Mili a y Exe cises, In Focus (Washing on, D.C.: Cong essional
Resea ch Se ice [CRS], 30 May 2024), h ps://c s epo s.
cong ess.go /p oduc /de ails?p odcode=IF12438 (accessed
28 Augus 2024).
2
Pie e D. Wezeman, Ka a ina Djokic, Ma hew Geo ge,
Zain Hussain and Siemon T. Wezeman, T ends in In e na ional
A ms T ans e s, 2023, SIPRI Fac shee (Solna: S ockholm In e -
na ional Peace Resea ch Ins i u e, Ma ch 2024), 9, doi:
10.55163/PBRP4239.
3
“India Now among Top 25 A ms Expo e Na ions:
Economic Su ey”, The Hindu, 22 July 2024, h ps://www.
hehindu.com/business/budge /india-now-among- op-25-
Window o oppo uni y:
India’s dependence on Russia
No only does India need o mode nise i s mili a y, i
is also looking o educe i s hea y eliance on Russian
mili a y equipmen . These wo ac o s p o ide Ge -
many wi h a window o oppo uni y o coope a ion
in he yea s o come.
Since he Cold Wa , Moscow and New Delhi ha e
enjoyed a close mili a y and de ence-indus ial pa -
ne ship. Since 2010, mo e han 60 pe cen o all
Indian de ence impo s ha e come om Russia, and
India is he coun y’s mos impo an ma ke , accoun -
ing o mo e han 30 pe cen o Russian expo s.
4
Up o 80 pe cen o India’s mili a y s ocks come om
Russia. The dependence is pa icula ly p onounced
o land o ces, o which an es ima ed 90 pe cen o
equipmen is o Russian o igin.
5
Howe e , Russian a ms ans e s o India had
al eady declined signi ican ly be o e 2022, he yea o
he in asion o Uk aine. Al hough hey s ill accoun ed
o 76 pe cen o all impo s om 2009 o 2013, in
he pe iod be ween 2019 and 2023, his igu e was
only 36 pe cen .
6
Some a gue ha his end will in-
a ms-expo e -na ions-economic-su ey/a icle68433092.ece
(accessed 28 Augus 2024).
4
And ew S. Bowen, Russian A ms Sales and De ence Indus y,
CRS Repo (Washing on, D.C.: CRS, 2021), 19, h ps://
c s epo s.cong ess.go /p oduc /pd /R/R46937 (accessed
10 Oc obe 2024).
5
Ch is ophe Ja elo and Aadil Sud, Indian Mili a y Depend-
ence on Russia, Exp essions (Pa is: Ins i u Mon aigne, 2022),
h ps://www.ins i u mon aigne.o g/en/exp essions/indian-
mili a y-dependence- ussia (accessed 11 Sep embe 2024).
6
“Geopoli ical Shi s: India Reduces Dependence on Rus-
sian A ms amid Tension wi h China and Pakis an”, Times o
India, 12 Ma ch 2024, h ps:// imeso india.india imes.com/
india/geopoli ical-shi s-india- educes-dependence-on-
ussian-a ms-amid- ensions-wi h-china-pakis an/a icleshow/
108378688.cms (accessed 10 Sep embe 2024).
Pia Fuh hop
De ence Coope a ion wi h India:
Oppo uni ies and Challenges
Pia Fuh hop
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
20
ensi y o a numbe o easons. Russian weapons
ini ially unde pe o med in he wa agains Uk aine.
Doub s also emain abou Russia’s eliabili y as a
supplie , as Moscow has o de o e much o i s de ence
p oduc ion o he wa o a i ion agains Uk aine.
The Indian Ai Fo ce has epo edly cu i s planned
spending o 2024 by a hi d due o Moscow’s in-
abili y o mee i s deli e y commi men s.
7
A li mus
es o Russian-Indian de ence ela ions is he im-
plemen a ion o a mili a y- echnical amewo k
ag eemen ha was concluded in 2021. A e ini ial
delays, he planned p oduc ion o Russian assaul
i les in India has begun.
8
Howe e , he deli e y o
Russian S-400 ai de ence sys ems has been delayed
by wo yea s.
9
India seeks s a egic au onomy.
I wan s o a oid new s a egic,
de ence-indus ial dependencies on
Wes e n coun ies.
In addi ion, in he medium e m, Wes e n sanc-
ions could slow down Russian de ence p oduc ion,
which is dependen on Wes e n machines, compo-
nen s and chips. Speci ic US sanc ions also make i
mo e di icul o conduc a ms deals.
10
7
See Ja elo and Sud, Indian Mili a y Dependence on Russia
(see no e 5); Max Be gmann, Ma ia Snego aya, Tina Dolbaia
and Nick Fen on, Selle ’s Remo se: The Challenges Facing Russia’s
A ms Expo s (Washing on, D.C.: Cen e o S a egic and
In e na ional S udies, 18 Sep embe 2023), 19 ., h ps://
www.csis.o g/analysis/selle s- emo se-challenges- acing-
ussias-a ms-expo s (accessed 10 Oc obe 2024).
8
Dinaka Pe i, “Indo-Russian Join Ven u e Handed o e
27,000 Ak-203 Assaul Ri les o Indian A my”, The Hindu,
28May 2024, h ps://www. hehindu.com/news/na ional/indo-
ussian-join - en u e-handed-o e -27000-ak-203-assaul - i les-
o-indian-a my/a icle68193891.ece (accessed 11 Sep embe
2024).
9
Yu ii Poi a, Up in A ms: Is Russia Losing he Indian A ms Ma -
ke ? Exp essions (Pa is: Ins i u Mon aigne, 2022), h ps://
www.ins i u mon aigne.o g/en/exp essions/a ms- ussia-
losing-indian-a ms-ma ke (accessed 28 July 2024).
10
Anchal Voh a, “India Looks beyond Russia o De ense
Impo s”, Poli ico, 25 Ap il 2024, h ps://www.poli ico.eu/
a icle/india-de ense-impo s- ussia-expo s- ade-weapons
(accessed 24 July 2024).
India as a new pa ne in
Ge man de ence policy
When i comes o expanding de ence coope a ion
wi h India, Ge many is a la ecome among Wes e n
coun ies. Fo a long ime, Ge many pu sued a cau-
ious a ms expo policy and was scep ical abou sha -
ing echnology wi h India. Apa om subma ines,
Ge many has mainly supplied componen s o ships
and a mou ed ehicles. Howe e , in compe i ion
wi h he Uni ed S a es and F ance, Ge many has been
unable o win majo con ac s. Especially om he
Indian pe spec i e, bila e al de ence coope a ion –
based on a coope a ion ag eemen since 2006 and an
implemen a ion ag eemen since 2019 – has allen
sho o expec a ions.
11
In con as , o he Wes e n
coun ies, pa icula ly F ance, he Uni ed S a es and
Is ael, ha e success ully expanded hei coope a ion
wi h India in his ield.
12
Since he s a o Russia’s wa agains Uk aine,
he e has been a clea shi in Ge many’s a ms expo
policy owa ds India, as Be lin is now willing o ac-
commoda e New Delhi’s desi e o g ea e de ence
coope a ion. The go e nmen is suppo ing India’s
indus y h ough ins umen s such as diploma ic
alks, mili a y exe cises and secu i y dialogue.
13
This change in policy is p edica ed on he no ion
ha , in he con ex o global sys emic compe i ion,
mili a y coope a ion ma e s jus as much as eco-
nomic coope a ion. De ence coope a ion se es as a
signal o Russia and China, and i ea i ms Ge ma-
ny’s in e es in main aining he ules-based in e -
na ional o de . In his espec , eeing India om i s
mili a y dependence on Russia and posi ioning Ge -
many as a eliable pa ne in he Indo-Paci ic a e he
guiding p inciples o Be lin’s cu en policy.
14
11
Rajend a K. Jain, India and Ge many in a Tu bulen Wo ld:
Pe cep ions, Pe spec i es, P ospec s (New Delhi, 2023), 229–57.
12
Sanjib K Ba uah, “India S ill Wo ld’s Top Weapons
Buye , Ra ale Makes F ance Second Bigges Selle ”, The Week,
11 Ma ch 2024, h ps://www. heweek.in/news/india/2024/03/
11/india-s ill-wo lds- op-weapons-buye - a ale-makes- ance-
second-bigges -selle .h ml (accessed 10 Oc obe 2024).
13
Ad ian Haack, Indien und die “Russian A ms Ques ion”,
Lände be ich e (Be lin: Kon ad-Adenaue -S i ung, May
2023), 2 ., h ps://www.kas.de/de/laende be ich e/de ail/-/
con en /indien-und-die- ussian-a ms-ques ion (accessed
10 Oc obe 2024); Be gmann, Snego aya, Dolbaia and Fen on,
Selle ’s Remo se (see no e 7).
14
“Pis o ius au de MSC 24: ‘Fü das eins ehen, wo an wi
glauben’” (Rede au de Münchne Siche hei skon e enz), 17
De ence Coope a ion wi h India: Oppo uni ies and Challenges
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
21
Recen ly, de ence deals ha e also been pa o he
high-le el diplomacy a he bila e al le el. Du ing his
isi o India in Feb ua y 2023, Chancello Ola Scholz
was al eady sugges ing he p ospec o u he co-
ope a ion in his a ea. When De ence Minis e Bo is
Pis o ius isi ed New Delhi in June 2023, a memo an-
dum o unde s anding was signed be ween Ge man
and Indian companies o he cons uc ion o six sub-
ma ines.
15
P ac ical secu i y coope a ion has also been s epped
up. In June 2024, o example, he Indian Chie o he
Ai S a isi ed he Be lin Ai Show, whe e he was
shown he la es gene a ion o he Eu o igh e igh e
je . Sho ly a e wa ds, in Augus 2024, he Ge man
Ai Fo ce ained wi h India o he i s ime in a
join manoeu e. The wo coun ies’ na ies also held
a join exe cise.
Whe he he po en ial o Indo-Ge man de ence
coope a ion can be ealised depends on se e al ac-
o s: he impo ance o Russia as an a ms supplie o
India in he medium e m, New Delhi’s desi e o
so e eign y in de ence p ocu emen and he de elop-
men o us in Ge many as an expo e .
Russia’s las ing oo p in
Russia will likely emain an impo an playe in
de ence coope a ion wi h India, as de ence deals also
en ail ollow-up business o spa e pa s and upda es.
B eaking wi h Moscow would pose majo p oblems
o he Indian a med o ces’ abili y o ope a e.
16
Fu -
Feb ua y 2024, h ps://www.bm g.de/de/ak uelles/impuls
o ag-pis o ius-msc-24-5744960 (accessed 10 Oc obe 2024);
“Deu schland o en ü Wa enlie e ungen an Indien”,
Deu sche Welle, 5 June 2023, h ps://www.dw.com/de/
deu schland-o en- %C3%BC -wa enlie e ungen-an-indien/
a-65831339 (accessed 10 Oc obe 2024).
15
Thyssenk upp Ma ine Sys ems, “ hyssenk upp Ma ine
Sys ems und Mazagon Dock Shipbuilde s Limi ed e klä en
Absich zum Bau on U-Boo en ü und in Indien”, p ess
elease, 7 June 2023, h ps://www. hyssenk upp.com/de/
news oom/p essemeldungen/p essede ailsei e/ hyssenk upp-
ma ine-sys ems-und-mazagon-dock-shipbuilde s-limi ed-
e kla en-absich -zum-bau- on-u-boo en- u -und-in-indien-
224985 (accessed 10 Oc obe 2024).
16
Vasabji Bane jee and Benjamin Tkach, “A e Uk aine,
Whe e Will India Buy I s Weapons?”, Wa on he Rocks, 12
Ap il 2022 (Commen a y), h ps://wa on he ocks.com/2022/
04/a e -uk aine-whe e-will-india-buy-i s-weapons/ (accessed
28 Augus 2024).
he mo e, Russia is p epa ed o mee India’s p ocu e-
men needs. Moscow has also been mo e willing han
o he s o sha e sensi i e echnology wi h India and
allow co-p oduc ion o de ence equipmen . Las bu
no leas , adi ionally lowe uni p ices ha e been a
compelling a gumen in a ou o pu chasing Russian
weapons. Equally impo an om New Delhi’s poin
o iew is he ac ha India has so a no had o ea
Russian sanc ions and has been able o d aw on gen-
e ous loans om Moscow.
17
Bo h sides ha e ecen ly
ag eed o expand he p oduc ion o spa e pa s in
India and o join ly de elop weapons sys ems.
18
F om
an Indian pe spec i e, coope a ion wi h Moscow also
p o ides a coun e weigh o Beijing. The go e nmen
in New Delhi is bound o wo y abou he g owing
ies be ween Russia, India’s main de ence supplie ,
and China, i s main i al.
India’s ambi ions o
de ence independence
Fu u e de ence coope a ion wi h India will also depend
on he coun y’s abili y o de elop i s own compe i-
i e de ence indus y. A numbe o e o ms ha e been
ini ia ed o his end. Go e nmen unding ini ia i es
aim o encou age p i a e-sec o pa icipa ion in he
de ence sec o . In addi ion, he e is an ongoing e o
o g adually shi weapons p oduc ion o India. The
Indian go e nmen has iden i ied some 5,000 i ems
o de ence equipmen ha will be subjec o pa ial
o o al impo bans a e a ce ain pe iod o ime.
19
India’s indus y – lacking unds o esea ch and
de elopmen and he abili y o inno a e – is s ill
dependen on o eign know-how and echnology. Fo
his eason, join en u es wi h in e na ional pa ne s
will be encou aged in which a leas 50 pe cen o
p oduc ion akes place domes ically. T ans e o ech-
nology and design will also be an objec i e in some
cases. Indian companies will be able o d aw on Wes -
e n expe ise o build complex weapons sys ems. This
17
Ja elo and Sud, Indian Mili a y Dependence on Russia
(see no e 5).
18
Minis y o Ex e nal A ai s, “Join S a emen Following
he 22nd India-Russia Annual Summi ”, 9 July 2024, h ps://
www.mea.go .in/bila e al-documen s.h m?d l/37940/Join +
S a emen + ollowing+ he+22nd+IndiaRussia+Annual+
Summi / (accessed 10 Oc obe 2024).
19
Minis y o De ence, “Oppo uni ies o Make in India
De ence”, h ps://s ijande ence.go .in/ (accessed 15 Oc obe
2024).
Pia Fuh hop
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
22
echnical expe ise is as impo an as capi al. A e a
pe iod o ansi ion, India’s aim is o be in a posi ion
o do i s own de elopmen and p oduc ion o he
nex gene a ion o weapons sys ems.
20
In he medium
e m, his will open up a ac i e oppo uni ies o
coope a ion wi h Wes e n coun ies and companies.
Howe e , i is an open ques ion whe he and when
India will succeed in making he leap o independ-
ence, and no jus because o i s high na ional deb .
Building us o he long haul
Success ul de ence coope a ion can con ibu e o con-
idence-building and mu ual unde s anding be ween
Ge many and India, e en on issues whe e he wo
coun ies ha e no been on he same page poli ically.
The e a e, howe e , a numbe o hu dles o o e -
come.
Ge many wan s o use a ms expo s o educe Rus-
sia’s in luence on India’s secu i y policy. Since Ge -
many’s sha e o he Indian ma ke is oo small o
such an endea ou , he Ge man go e nmen can only
succeed by joining o ces wi h Wes e n pa ne s. Like
Ge many, India is commi ed o he p inciples o a
ules-based in e na ional o de . Howe e , i is also
a ec ed by he g owing ensions be ween he Uni ed
S a es and China. In his geopoli ical si ua ion, how-
e e , New Delhi’s sea ch o pa ne s is abou he
ealisa ion o i s own ambi ions o g ea e s a egic
independence.
21
Wi h his in mind, he i s s ep is o build us
and discuss mu ual expec a ions o he coope a ion.
This is ue o India’s desi e o echnology ans e
and a eliable Be lin supply policy, as well as Ge -
many’s hopes o coope a ion in he Indo-Paci ic
egion and India’s con ibu ion owa ds he end o
he wa in Uk aine.
Ano he challenge will be o consolida e he i s
s eps aken by Be lin. The Ge man go e nmen ’s
20
Laxman Kuma Behe a, India’s De ence Indus y: Achie e-
men s and Challenges, Issue B ie (New Delhi: Obse e
Resea ch Founda ion, 6 May 2024), h ps://www.o online.
o g/ esea ch/india-s-de ence-indus y-achie emen s-and-
challenges (accessed 23 Augus 2024).
21
Ch is ian Wagne , “Indien: G oßmach ambi ionen
und Mi elmach essou cen”, in Mi le e Mäch e – ein luss eiche
Ak eu e in de in e na ionalen Poli ik, ed. Ba ba a Lippe and
S e an Mai , SWP-S udie 1/2024 (Be lin: S i ung Wissen-
scha und Poli ik, Janua y 2024), 33–36, doi: 10.18449/
2024S01.
policy o da e has been o p omo e Ge man expo s. I
emains o be seen whe he , in he long e m, i eally
wan s India o e ol e om a cus ome o a pa ne
wi h whom de ence p ojec s a e join ly planned and
implemen ed.
22
Ge man a ms expo s a e seen by In-
dian playe s as unp edic able due o leng hy app o al
p ocedu es. Howe e , Be lin has ecen ly app o ed
deli e ies o p ojec s ha a e o key impo ance o
India. These include componen s and engines o
India’s new main ba le ank.
23
Since 2024, India has
been one o he p e e ed coun ies o he expo
o ce ain na al equipmen . Howe e , i has no ye
been placed on an equal oo ing wi h p e e ed
de ence pa ne s such as EU membe s a es o coun-
ies in he No h A lan ic T ea y O ganiza ion alli-
ance.
A he same ime, he e is mis us o India in he
Wes . Wes e n supplie s a e eluc an o ans e sen-
si i e echnology o India in iew o New Delhi’s s a -
egy o a ms p ocu emen om a a ie y o sou ces.
Con idence-building measu es and he alignmen
o mu ual expec a ions alone will no be able o o e -
come he pa ial di e gence o in e es s be ween he
wo pa ne s. Howe e , such s eps can help o make
coope a ion mo e esilien and o iden i y common
in e es s.
22
Raja Pandi , “Clea Poli ical Will in Be lin Now o Boos
De ence Ties: Ge man En oy”, Times o India, 4 Ma ch 2024,
h ps:// imeso india.india imes.com/india/clea -poli ical-will-
in-be lin-now- o-boos -de ence- ies-wi h-india-ge man-en oy/
a icleshow/108186121.cms (accessed 23 Augus 2024).
23
“Expo deu sche Mo o en ü indische Kamp panze
genehmig ”, Handelsbla , 13 Sep embe 2023, h ps://www.
handelsbla .com/poli ik/deu schland/ ues ungsexpo e-
expo -deu sche -mo o en- ue -indische-kamp panze -
genehmig /29388932.h ml (accessed 23 Sep embe 2024).
Cybe diploma ic Coope a ion wi h India
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
29
in e es s di e in many espec s.
8
India, o example,
is p ima ily in e es ed in gene a ing new ma ke s
o i s so wa e and he domes ically de eloped model
o a digi al public in as uc u e. In he case o Ge -
many, he main incen i es o coope a ion a e o de-
elop new loca ions in Asia ha can be used o d i e
digi al inno a ion and, in some cases, p oduc ion.
In addi ion, bo h coun ies ha e a g ea in e es in
p esen ing hemsel es as an a ac i e des ina ion
o di ec in es men om he o he . The Digi al
Dialogue and i s pla o m app oach seems o be he
app op ia e means a he momen o c ea e oppo -
uni ies o open exchanges on u he economic
in eg a ion a he wo king le el.
Fo he BMZ, digi al policy coope a ion is an in-
c easingly impo an pilla o he 81 p ojec s ha he
Deu sche Gesellscha ü In e na ionale Zusammen-
a bei (GIZ) main ains in India. Fo example, India is a
pa ne coun y o Ge man de elopmen coope a ion
in he global p og amme Digi al T ans o ma ion and
in he sec o p og amme In e na ional Digi al Policy
o Sus ainable De elopmen .
9
T iangula coope a ion
ep esen s a possible expansion o ma o u u e col-
labo a ion. A e he BMZ and he Indian Minis y o
Ex e nal A ai s signed a co esponding decla a ion o
in en a he six h in e go e nmen al consul a ions
in 2022, a p ojec on digi al geoda a ools became one
o he pilo p ojec s o iangula coope a ion wi h
India.
10
Bila e al coope a ion in he ield o educa ion has
also ecen ly inc eased signi ican ly. The e a e now
join ini ia i es be ween he BMBF and he Indian
Depa men o Science and Technology, which a e
unded by he Indo-Ge man Science and Technology
Cen e (IGSTC), ounded in 2010. As pa o his yea ’s
2+2 unding amewo k, he IGSTC suppo ed p ojec s
wi h he hema ic nexus o AI and sus ainabili y.
11
8
While he BMDV is leading he Digi al Dialogue, i is also
pa o GIZ’s la ge p ojec “In e na ional Digi al Dialogues
wi h Eme ging and De eloping Coun ies”. GIZ is esponsible
o coo dina ing he mee ings.
9
GIZ, “P ojek da en”, h ps://www.giz.de/p ojek da en/
egion/2/coun ies/IN (accessed 5 Sep embe 2024).
10
BMZ, “Indisch-Deu sche D eieckskoope a ion” (June
2023), h ps://www.bmz.de/ esou ce/blob/155456/ ac shee -
d eieckskoope a ionen-deu sch.pd (accessed 5 Sep embe
2024).
11
BMBF, “Bekann machung”, 19 Feb ua y 2024, h ps://
www.bmb .de/bmb /sha eddocs/bekann machungen/de/2024/
03/2024-03-20-Bekann machung-IGSTC.h ml (accessed 5 Sep-
embe 2024). 2+2 p ojec s a e a unding o ma in which
Bila e al coope a ion has a g ea po en ial o g ow h
in he h ee sec o s o educa ion, de elopmen and
ade and inno a ion; o he policy a eas such as cli-
ma e and en i onmen al coope a ion can also bene i
om his.
Regula ion o da a
Whe eas Ge many adi ionally places a s ong ocus
on da a p o ec ion and eedom o exp ession when
egula ing online da a, economic bene i s and na ional
secu i y play a cen al ole o India. These unda-
men ally di e en app oaches ha e made coope a ion
di icul in he pas . This applies o he ee low o
da a s eams, he local s o age o in o ma ion and
bila e al coope a ion o comba cybe c ime.
Digi al ade and in es men in in o ma ion in a-
s uc u e be ween he wo coun ies emain jus as
weak as ansna ional da a ans e . The main eason
o his is ha o a long ime i was no possible o
pass a da a p o ec ion law in India ha would ha e
me he c i e ia o he Eu opean Gene al Da a P o ec-
ion Regula ion (GDPR). I was no un il Augus 2023
ha India passed comp ehensi e da a p o ec ion
legisla ion in he o m o he Digi al Pe sonal Da a
P o ec ion Ac .
12
Al hough he law does no mean ull
ha monisa ion wi h he GDPR, i does p o ide an
ini ial basis o legally ancho ing da a p o ec ion in
India.
13
This had become necessa y a e he coun y’s
Sup eme Cou issued a poli ically con o e sial
judgemen in 2017, acco ding o which he igh o
p i acy is a undamen al igh p o ec ed by he
cons i u ion.
As a as coope a ion in dealing wi h in e na ional
da a lows is conce ned, he igh agains online c ime
emains a key issue. In con as o Ge many, India
p io i ises bila e al a he han mul ila e al coope a-
ion in his a ea. In he pas , New Delhi p io i ised
bila e al mu ual legal assis ance ag eemen s as a key
one scien i ic and one public o p i a e ac o om bo h coun-
ies can submi a join p ojec unding applica ion.
12
“The Digi al Pe sonal Da a P o ec ion Ac , 2023”, The
Gaze e o India, 11 Augus 2023, h ps://www.mei y.go .in/
w i e eadda a/ iles/Digi al%20Pe sonal%20Da a%20P o ec
ion%20Ac %202023.pd (accessed 5 Sep embe 2024).
13
Eu opean Commission, “Da a P o ec ion – he Regime
in India (Pa -II)”, News Blog, 4 Janua y 2024, h ps://
in ellec ual-p ope y-helpdesk.ec.eu opa.eu/news-e en s/
news/da a-p o ec ion- egime-india-pa -ii-2024-01-04_en
(accessed 15 Sep embe 2024).

Tobias Scholz
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
30
o eign policy ins umen . Re e ing o he ac ha
he dea h penal y s ill exis s in India, he Ge man
go e nmen has been scep ical in his ega d, wi h
he esul ha an ag eemen on legal assis ance has
no ye been eached. The mixed success o exis ing
ag eemen s and he inc easing p esence o (mainly
Ame ican) online pla o ms in India ha e led o a
shi in he coun y’s poli ical endea ou s in ecen
yea s. Fo example, especially unde he second Modi
go e nmen (2019–2024), India has u ned o in-
c easingly o ce ul means o di ec ly a ge companies
such as Me a and X/Twi e o censo con en o gain
access o pe sonal in o ma ion abou indi iduals.
Cases o such p ac ices agains p i a e-sec o ac o s
a e an indica ion ha he pa ne ship wi h India is
based less on sha ed alues and mo e on sha ed s a-
egic in e es s.
Ou look
Cybe diploma ic e o s in Indo-Ge man ela ions
ha e in ensi ied in ecen yea s, bu he e is s ill oom
o imp o emen . F om a Ge man pe spec i e, h ee
aspec s appea o be cen al o poli ical coope a ion
in his a ea. Fi s ly, he Digi al Dialogue shows ha a
mul i-s akeholde app oach can gi e new impe us o
bila e al digi al ade. Expe ience om de elopmen
policy coope a ion also indica es ha digi al policy
syne gies exis and ha s a e and p i a e-sec o play-
e s in India a e e y in e es ed in u he coope a ion.
Bila e al coope a ion could open up new economic
oppo uni ies o Ge man echnology companies in
he au omo i e, so wa e and elec ical enginee ing
sec o s.
Secondly, he Eu opean di ision o compe ences in
ade policy makes i di icul o u he de elop he
echnology pa ne ship wi h India in he sho and
medium e ms. Ge many emains hea ily elian on
he Eu opean Union (EU) o u u e digi al coope a-
ion wi h India. Howe e , B ussels has no ye been
able o each sus ainable ag eemen s wi h he coun-
y. On he one hand, he nego ia ions on a ee ade
ag eemen be ween he EU and India ha began in
2021 ha e no ye p oduced any esul s. Secondly, he
T ade and Technology Council (TTC) be ween he EU
and India, which was launched in 2022, has also had
no e ec o da e. In o de o achie e g ea e g ow h in
he bila e al digi al economy, he success o he TTC’s
second wo king g oup on s a egic echnologies, digi-
al go e nance and digi al connec i i y is pa icula ly
impo an .
14
Thi dly, wo no ma i e challenges a e likely o
pe sis wi h ega d o he In e ne as an in o ma ion
space. India is s i ing o mo e con ol o e he In e -
ne , a no ma i e p e e ence ha i does no sha e
wi h i s Ge man pa ne . In addi ion, he Indian dias-
po a is g owing apidly.
15
The Ge man go e nmen
mus expec ha Indian na ionals in his coun y
could become he a ge o poli ical campaigns by
ac o s in hei coun y o o igin. Poli ical in luence
on Indians li ing in Ge many could lead o a long-
e m loss o us in cybe diploma ic ela ions. Bo h
coun ies should he e o e u gen ly wo k on con-
idence-building and isk-minimising s a egies wi h
ega d o dispu es conce ning he In e ne in o ma-
ion space.
The holis ic iew o Indo-Ge man digi al ela ions
makes i possible o assess oppo uni ies and chal-
lenges in a ealis ic and di e en ia ed manne . As
cu en de elopmen s show, bo h sides a e in e es ed
in sus ainably deepening he s a egic pa ne ship
in digi al policy. Mul i-s akeholde o ma s could also
se e o ind comp omises in digi al economic co-
ope a ion in he u u e. Howe e , di e ging poli ical
alues ega ding he In e ne as an in o ma ion space
a e likely o emain a sou ce o undamen al con lic s
o in e es .
14
Fo an o e iew o he EU-India TTC, see Eu opean Pa -
liamen , “EU-India T ade and Technology Council”, h ps://
www.eu opa l.eu opa.eu/RegDa a/e udes/ATAG/2024/757587/
EPRS_ATA(2024)757587_EN.pd (accessed 5 Sep embe 2024).
15
Figu es om he Fede al S a is ical O ice o Ge many
can be ound he e: “Fachk ä e-Abkommen: Indische Mig a-
ion is ein iesige E olg”, Mediendiens Mig a ion, 1 Decembe
2023, h ps://mediendiens -in eg a ion.de/a ikel/indische-
mig a ion-is -ein- iesige -e olg.h ml (accessed 5 Sep embe
2024).
Abb e ia ions
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
31
Appendix
Abb e ia ions
AI
A i icial In elligence
BJP
Indian People’s Pa y
/
Bha a iya Jana a Pa y
BMBF
Fede al Minis y o Educa ion and Resea ch
BMDV
Fede al Minis y o Digi al and T anspo
BMEL
Fede al Minis y o Food and Ag icul u e
BMZ
Fede al Minis y o Economic Coope a ion and
De elopmen
BRICS
B azil, Russia, India, China, Sou h A ica
CBAM
Ca bon Bo de Adjus men Mechanism
CRS
Cong essional Resea ch Se ice
EFTA
Eu opean F ee T ade Associa ion
ESMA
Eu opean Secu i ies and Ma ke s Au ho i y
EU
Eu opean Union
G7
G oup o Se en
G20
G oup o Twen y
GDP
G oss Domes ic P oduc
GDPR
Eu opean Gene al Da a P o ec ion Regula ion
GGE
G oup o Go e nmen al Expe s
GI
Geog aphical Indica ion
GIZ
Deu sche Gesellscha ü In e na ionale
Zusammena bei
HRK
Hochschul ek o enkon e enz
iCET
Ini ia i e on C i ical and Eme ging Technology
IGSTC
Indo-Ge man Science and Technology Cen e
IT
In o ma ion Technology
Me cosu
Me cado Común del Su
MMPA
Mig a ion and Mobili y Pa ne ship Ag eemen
OEC
Obse a o y o Economic Complexi y
OECD
O ganisa ion o Economic Co-ope a ion and
De elopmen
SPS
Sani a y and Phy osani a y
STEM
Science, echnology, enginee ing, and
ma hema ics
TSD
T ade and sus ainabili y de elopmen
TTC
T ade and Technology Council
WFP
Wo ld Food P og amme
WTO
Wo ld T ade O ganiza ion
The au ho s
SWP Be lin
India as a Pa ne o Ge man Fo eign Policy
No embe 2024
32
The au ho s
P o . D He ibe Die e
Senio Associa e in he Global Issues
Resea ch Di ision a SWP
D Pia Fuh hop
Depu y Head o he In e na ional Secu i y
Resea ch Di ision a SWP
D Hanns Gün he Hilpe
Senio Fellow in he Asia Resea ch Di ision a SWP
Da id Kipp
Associa e in he Global Issues Resea ch Di ision
a SWP
D ag . Be ina Rudlo
Senio Associa e in he EU/Eu ope Resea ch Di ision
a SWP
Tobias Scholz
Associa e in he Asia Resea ch Di ision a SWP
D Ch is ian Wagne
Senio Fellow in he Asia Resea ch Di ision a SWP