India-France Bilateral Brief
Relations between India and France have traditionally been close and friendly. With the establishment of the strategic partnership in 1998, there has been significant progress in all areas of bilateral cooperation through regular high-level exchanges at the Head of State/Head of Government levels and growing commercial exchanges including in strategic areas such as defence, nuclear energy and space. France was the first country with which India entered into an agreement on nuclear energy following the waiver given by International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group enabling India to resume full civil nuclear cooperation with the international community. Today our relations are growing fast in important areas for the future, with wide-ranging cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields and on defence, space, science & technology, and education. France has consistently supported India’s increasing role in international fora.
At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh, President Sarkozy undertook his second visit to India from 4-7 December 2010. His visit contributed to further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and France – especially in key areas of civil nuclear, space and defence co-operation. This was an occasion for both leaders to reaffirm their shared vision and values and to announce their determination to give a new impetus to the Indo-French Strategic Partnership and greater content to our economic and commercial relations, while expanding ties in the fields of culture, science and technology and education. Apart from Delhi, President Sarkozy also visited ISRO, Bangalore and paid homage to the victims of Mumbai 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. At the conclusion of the visit, the two sides issued the bilateral document ‘India-France: Partnership for the Future’ that reflects the comprehensive and holistic nature of the India-France strategic partnership and deals with all issues of mutual concern and bilateral cooperation including global and regional challenges and terrorism. Seven Agreements/MoUs were signed during the visit including the General Framework Agreement and the Early Works Agreement between NPCIL and Areva for implementation of EPR NPP Units at Jaitapur.
In recent years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Sarkozy have also met at international conferences – Prime Minister Singh visited France to attend the G20 Summit held on 3-4 November, 2011 at Cannes, earlier they had also met at the G-8 + 5 in Italy and the G-20 Summit in London (April 2009) and Pittsburg (Sept 2009). The two leaders held a separate meeting on the sidelines of the CHOGM in Trinidad & Tobago on 27 November 2009 and G-20 Summit in Toronto in June 2010 and in Seoul in November 2010, and discussed both bilateral and global issues.
PM’s visit as Guest of Honour to the 14 July Bastille Day Celebrations: Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited France from 13-14 July 2009. He was the guest of honour at the French National Day celebrations (Bastille Day parade). A 400-strong contingent of the Indian armed forces led the Bastille Day parade - the first time ever, that Indian troops took part in another country’s national day parade. President Sarkozy hosted a lunch in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after which PM and the President addressed a larger gathering at the President’s National Day reception at the Elysée. PM extended an invitation to President Sarkozy and his wife to visit India which they did in December 2010.
French Foreign Minister, Mr. Alain Juppé paid an official visit to India on 20th October 2011. He met External Affairs Minister Shri S.M. Krishna and reviewed the progress on the implementation of the Joint Declaration on bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest and importance “India-France: Partnership for the Future” adopted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Nicolas Sarkozy on December 6, 2010.
Reaffirming that the India-France Strategic Partnership has been steadily strengthening and widening in scope, they agreed on a roadmap for its further development.
Institutional Structure for dialogue
France and India have instituted a high-level, Strategic Dialogue at the level of National Security Advisors which provides both sides an opportunity to review key elements of the bilateral agenda between India and France and particularly, the overall global security situation and emerging challenges. The 23rd round of the India-France Strategic Dialogue took place in Paris on 12th September, 2011. Annual Foreign Office Consultations are held at the level of Foreign Secretaries of the two countries. The last Consultations took place in Paris on 6th May, 2011. A special Joint Working Group on Terrorism has been established for cooperation in the fight against terrorism. A High Level Committee for Defence Cooperation (HCDC) at the level of Defence Secretaries, working through its three specialized sub-committees, deals with issues related to bilateral defence cooperation. Its thirteenth meeting was held in Paris on 18 – 19 November 2010. The Military Sub-Committee (MSC), Sub-Committee for Defence Industry, Procurement and Research & Technology (R&T) met and Service (Army/ Navy/ Air Force) Staff Talks were held from 12 - 14 December 2011. A Joint Committee for Economic and Technical Cooperation at the level of Ministers of Commerce, deals with issues related to commerce and trade. The last meeting was held in Paris, on 24-25 June 2010. Minister of Commerce and Industry led the Indian delegation.
The Indo-French CEOs Forum formed in 2009 was called upon to identify new avenues for cooperation and take initiatives to facilitate business links between both countries. The fourth meeting of India France CEOs’ Forum was held in Paris on January 30-31, 2012. The Forum was coordinated by the Confederation of Indian Industry, and Co-Chaired by Mr. Dhruv M. Sawhney, Chairman and Managing Director, Triveni Engineering & Industries, from India and Mr. Bertrand Collomb, Honorary Chairman, Lafarge, from France, and attended by Forum members and a large number of invitees. The member CEOs of the Forum decided to continue dialogue during the interval between the meetings and try to establish working groups to deal with specific sectors.
Indo French Trade & Investment
France is the 5th largest economy of the world and an important member of the G-8. Its technological strengths make it the leader in sectors such as aviation, space, food processing, transport, railways and agricultural research. However, France’s business interaction with India is not commensurate with its intrinsic economic capacity. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Sarkozy have set a target to achieve bilateral trade of Euro 12 billion by 2012. This would call for additional efforts both bilaterally and in the wider India-EU context.
The two countries had a trade of € 6.13 billion in January 2008, when it was decided to double this figure to € 12 billion by 2012. Though Indian exports to France have grown by 69% to € 4.7 billion (January- December 2011) from the level of € 2.78 billion in January-December 2007, the French exports to India have actually fallen by 17.5% from € 3.35 billion to € 2.77 billion.
Major items of French exports comprise electrical equipment, aeronautical & space construction products, measuring & control equipments, iron & steel products, equipment for emission and transmission of sound & image, mechanical equipments, organic and other chemical products, general & special usage machines, equipment for reception & recording of sound & image, machine tools, engines and turbines etc.
Indian exports comprise a range of goods and services from the small and medium sector. Refined petroleum products, garments, textiles and apparel, accessories, leather clothes & footwear etc. constitute a major share of India's exports to France. Imports of refined petroleum products, auto equipment, fish and fish products and gems & jewellery and organic chemicals have been increasing.
Investments
The investments from France to India are still well below the expected potential and we look forward to higher French investments particularly in high-technology sectors, including, infrastructure, food processing etc. The investment from France stands at $ 2.74 billion till January 2012, which is 2% of the total FDI flows.
French companies have strengths in infrastructure related activities (roads, power, etc) and India needs investments and technology in this sector. We need to put in measures to encourage greater flow of investment. The total investment in infrastructure envisaged is of the order of $ 1 trillion during the Twelfth Plan period (2012-17).
The pace of French investments in India has started picking up since 2009. The French companies have expressed intent of investing 8 billion Euros during 2008-2012 in various sectors like Energy, Automobile sector, Aerospace and Food Processing.
Indo-French dialogue on economic and technical issues is conducted through Joint Working Groups on IT & Telecom, Roads, Environment, Urban Development & Urban Transportation and Agriculture.
Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation
A landmark Agreement on Civil Nuclear Cooperation between India and France was signed during the visit to France of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 30 September, 2008.
This has resulted in collaboration in many related areas and both countries have concluded a number of agreements.
During President Sarkozy's visit to India in December 2010, a General Framework Agreement and an Early Works Agreement were signed between NPCIL and AREVA.
Space Cooperation
France and India view each other as important partners in space technology and applications. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its French counterpart Centre National de Etudes Spatiales (CNES) have a rich legacy of cooperation and collaboration spanning about four decades. Scientific community of these two nations cooperates in joint radiation experiment, space components development and space education.
Arianespace provides launch facilities for Indian Satellites (INSAT), while India’s PSLV has been used to launch satellites for European customers. During President Sarkozy's December 2010 visit to India, an MOU has been signed between the French Space Agency, Centre National de Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on future areas of co-operation in Earth Observation for climate change and space exploration.
On 12th October 2011, the jointly developed Megha-Tropiques Earth observation satellite by ISRO and CNES was successfully launched from Sriharikota. This satellite will yield scientific data of relevance to global concerns related to climate change and will be very important for understanding the monsoon dynamics and its forecasting.
French Parliamentary Group on Space (GPE) visited ISRO Headquarters on March 31, 2011 and interacted with ISRO community to understand Indian Space programme and its linkage with the parliament and general public.
Defence Cooperation
Defence cooperation with France is a key aspect of our overall bilateral relationship. The 13th meeting of the High Level Committee on Defence Cooperation (HCDC) was held in Paris on 18 – 19 November 2010. The latest rounds of the Military Sub-Committee (MSC), Sub-Committee for Defence Industry, Procurement and Research & Technology (R&T) and Service (Army/ Navy/ Air Force) Staff Talks were held from 12 - 14 December 2011. Under the framework of the structured talks on Indo-French Defence Cooperation several meetings on industrial collaboration and service exchanges are held regularly.
Indo-French Air Force Exercise Garuda IV was held at Istres air base in France from 14 - 25 June 2010 with participation of SU MKI aircraft from India. Indo - French Naval Exercise, Varuna was held in the Indian Ocean from 07 – 14 January 2011. The first India-France joint army exercise named Shakti was conducted in India at Chaubattia from 9-22 October 2011.
The Mirage-2000 upgradation contract was signed between Government of India and the French companies M/s Thales, M/s Dassault aviation on 29 July 2011. A contract for procurement of 493 MICA Air to Air missiles for fitment on upgraded Mirage-2000 has also been signed between Government of India and M/s MBDA, France in January 2012. On the MMRCA project, after an evaluation process comprising Technical, Flight and Commercial evaluation, Government of India has selected Rafale from M/s Dassault Aviation, France for procurement of 126 MMRCA for the Indian Air Force. Contract negotiations are currently ongoing.
The French Minister of Defence, Mr. Gérard Longuet visited India from 25 to 27 May 2011. During his visit, the French Defence Minister met Shri A K Antony, Hon’ble Raksha Mantri and other senior Defence officials. Shri MM Pallam Raju, Hon’’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri led a Ministry of Defence delegation for the 49th Paris Air Show from 19 to 23 June 2011.
Cultural Exchanges
Indian culture enjoys a wide and discerning audience among the French population, as is evident in the numerous and frequent cultural events organised all over France, spanning the entire diversity of Indian art, music, dance and literature. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) sponsors visits of Indian artists to France as also exchange of students in the field of culture and art. A significant number of Indian artists also perform in France on a commercial basis or at the initiative of the various local cultural associations outside the purview of the official exchanges. Popular Indian cinema is finding new appreciation in France. Indian Film Festivals are organised round the year in different parts of France. The Indo-French Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) provides the overall umbrella for the organisation of a variety of cultural programmes. The last (16th) session of the Joint Commission on Culture which reviews the CEP was held on 29 September 2009, in New Delhi.
In accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding signed between ICCR and the French Foreign Ministry in November 2009 on organizing cultural festivals in each other’s countries and in response to a three-month French Cultural Festival "Bonjour India” held in India from Nov. 2009, an Indian cultural festival, "Namaste France" was launched in France on 14 April, 2010 and closed on 28 June, 2011. President ICCR, Dr. Karan Singh inaugurated the event on 14th April. The Festival featured events covering the entire diversity of Indian culture includingart, music, dance, fashion, tourism, films, and literature as also business and education.
The exhibition ‘The Last Harvest – Paintings of Tagore’ was held at the prestigious Petit Palais museum in the heart of Paris, from 26 January to March 11, 2012. The exhibition was jointly inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of Culture, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja and the Mayor of Paris, Mr. Bertrand Delanoe on Republic Day.
During her visit to Paris, the Minister called on her French counterpart Mr. Frederic Mitterrand and signed a Declaration of Intent for further reinforcing cultural cooperation, on 26th January, 2012. On the same day, a MOU was signed between the Ministry of Culture of India and the Louvre Museum with the aim of establishing an active partnership in the area of exchange of competencies and expertise, particularly in the field of museology, temporary exhibitions and other cultural events.
The news channel France 24 was launched in India. An agreement on Film Co-Production was signed on the occasion of the visit of the French President to India in December 2010, which will inspire India-France joint co-operation projects in the film industry.
For many years India had been seeking to set up a separate Cultural Wing in Paris. On 30th March 2011, there was a major move forward with the acquisition of the property at 3 Avenue du Lowendal, in the centrally located 7th district of Paris. Certain renovation works have to be carried out before the building can be used for cultural services of the Embassy.
Educational and Technical Cooperation: Bilateral cooperation in the fields of higher education, research, and S&T cooperation is vibrant and intensifying within the governmental framework as well as outside it and is being encouraged through the India-France educational exchange programme, the Indo-French Consortium of Universities, through scholarships, ICCR Chairs in Sanskrit/Indian Economy in France and social sciences research programmes. During the visit of President Sarkozy to India in December 2010, bilateral relations in the field of education were further strengthened with the signing of MoUs between Indian Institute of Technology ( Khargpur, Bombay, Chennai, Kanpur, Delhi, Guwahati and Roorkee) and Paris Tech- a consortium of Grand Ecoles, and another between IIT- Bombay and Group des Ecole des Mines as well Institut Telecom to foster academic/scientific collaboration through faculty/researcher exchange and joint research programmes. IIT Rajasthan is one of the most prestigious bilateral projects between India and France announced following a joint declaration in 2008.
The number and scope of MoUs being signed between prestigious Indian and French university and private institutions has crossed the 300 mark in several disciplines including new ones (heritage conservation, digital archiving etc) for students and faculty exchange. An MoU had been signed during the visit of President Sarkozy between President Grenoble 3 - University and IGNOU for promoting the study of French language in December 2010. A number of scholarships are being offered by the French government to Indian students for studying French language, S&T, IT, Hotel Management, Public Administration, Fine Arts, Mass Communication, etc. The French authorities have provided land for extending the Maison de L‘Inde, which will contribute to substantially enhancing accommodation facilities for Indian students in France.
Multilateral
During the visit of President Sarkozy to India in December 2010, both Governments reiterated the need for in-depth reform of the United Nations, including of its Security Council, to make it more representative of the 21st Century. France reaffirmed its support for India to become a permanent member of an expanded Security Council without further delay. In respect of multilateral trade, the two countries look forward to an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced conclusion of the Doha Development Round of Negotiations in 2011. The two countries have called for renewed efforts to achieve the mutually beneficial conclusion of the EU-India Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement.
Indian Community in France
The Indian community including NRIs in France is estimated to be around 70,000, largely originating from Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandranagar. There are also large communities of PIOs in the Reunion Island (about 230,000), Guadeloupe (about 57000), Martinique (about 5000) and St. Martin (about 3600-French and Dutch sides), the overseas territories/departments of France.
