The European Union (EU) and India have adopted a joint statement on clean energy and climate change at the EU-India summit on 6 October in Delhi, India.
Building on the ratification of the Paris Agreement and the Joint Declaration on a Clean Energy and Climate Partnership adopted in 2016, both sides consider climate action and the clean energy transition as an imperative for the future development of their societies.
With this joint statement, they confirmed their commitments under the Paris Agreement and agreed to enhance its implementation and meet its goals. They also welcomed the progress on the Clean Energy and Climate Partnership since last year’s summit and reaffirmed their commitment to the ongoing cooperation on renewable energy, smart grids, energy efficiency and the cost-effective deployment of offshore wind energy in India.
European Commissioner for climate action and energy Miguel Arias Cañete said: “This first-ever statement is testimony of our highest political commitment to the Paris Agreement and the clean energy transition. Today, the EU and India are joining forces to help put the Paris Agreement into practice and bolster energy cooperation, including new fields of cooperation on energy efficiency, smart grids and low-emissions mobility. By working together, we can make a difference and jointly lead the global clean energy race.”
They agreed to further develop the partnership through facilitating business-to-business interaction on the implementation of climate action commitments and the clean energy sector and through expanding the cooperation to other areas including green cooling, solar pumping, energy storage and advanced biofuels.
Furthermore, the EU and India will work together to advance the implementation of the International Solar Alliance launched at the Paris climate conference (COP21) in 2015, witch which they intend to cooperate on approaches to de-risk financing of clean energy investment.