Closer Cooperation between European Parliamentarians and Indian Partners

A European Parliament (EP) Delegation is visiting India from the 25th to the 30th of April 2010 for meetings with counterparts in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

On Monday the 26th the Hon'ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Mrs. Meira Kumar, while welcoming the European guests, underlined the significance of continued dialogue between the two Parliaments for better mutual understanding. The Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with India, Mr Graham Watson, reciprocated the importance of an exchange of views, especially on global issues, thus the deepening strategic partnership between EU and India. Vice Chair Mrs. Lena Kolarska-Bobinskav expressed the EU's wish to cooperate closely with India in stabilizing the region. Mr. Watson invited the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to visit Brussels in the autumn together with a group of Indian MPs for the next EU-India inter-parliamentary meeting.

The EP Delegation is also meeting with ministers, public intellectuals, experts and academics, to discuss global and regional security concerns, trade and economic relations, social issues, and climate change and energy.

Moving from New Delhi to Hyderabad, they will interact with political leaders in the state of Andhra Pradesh, representatives of civil society, and members of Panchayati Raj institutions or local self – government. The European parliamentarians will also focus on the effectiveness and outcome of EU assistance to India by getting a first hand feel of an EU supported project on Improved Livelihoods for Cotton farmers Weavers and Garment Makers in South India, which is being implemented by the NGO Oxfam with 8 local partners. The projects seeks to improve the lives of the beneficiaries through organic farming, use of computer-aided design, and the use of information technologies for market monitoring and planning. The MEPs will also survey a recently completed project on the elimination of child labour labour implemented by the Dutch NGO Stichting Hivos in partnership with the M Venkatarangaiya Foundation (MVF), India.

This project has helped 150,000 children in schools and 30,000 out-of-school children to be freed from work so that they can focus on education.

Before leaving Hyderabad the European parliamentarians will visit the Development Centre of the IT major Infosys as well as the campus of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics.

Source: NewIndigo