6 October 2017: India and the European Union (EU) have issued a joint statement on clean energy and climate change, pledging to step up cooperation to enhance implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to encourage global low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to achieve climate-resilient and sustainable development.

The EU and India commit to implementation of the Paris Agreement “in all its aspects,” including mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer, capacity building, and transparency of actions and support. The two countries express their determination to ensure effective implementation of their respective nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and call on all Parties to the Paris Agreement to implement theirs.

The EU and India pledge to strengthen their bilateral cooperation on a range of issues, including increased energy efficiency of products and industrial processes, smart integration of renewable energy in the electricity system, and development and deployment of offshore wind.

The joint statement welcomes the EU Energy Union’s Framework Strategy and 2030 climate and energy targets, and India’s renewable targets and policies to develop an electricity system which can reliably integrate large shares of renewable energy.

In their joint statement, the EU and India also: look forward to rapid and universal ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); and reiterate their commitment to cooperation in the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Group of 20 (G20).

They also pledge to strengthen their bilateral cooperation on, inter alia: the ISA; the establishment of an India-EU climate change dialogue; GHG emission development strategies through regular technical dialogues; increased energy efficiency of products and industrial processes; smart integration of renewable energy in the electricity system; and development and deployment of offshore wind.

The joint statement, endorsed by leaders at the EU-India summit in New Delhi, India, on 6 October 2017, builds on the ratification of the Paris Agreement and the Joint Declaration on a Clean Energy and Climate Partnership adopted in 2016. [EU-India Joint Statement on Clean Energy and Climate Change] [European Commission Press Release]