Relevance: GS-2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Key Phrases: India and Germany, Green and Sustainable Development, Development Assistance, Green Hydrogen Task Force, Inter Governmental Consultations, Renewable energy, Migration and Mobility Partnership, Forest Landscape Restoration, Triangular Development Cooperation, Ukraine crisis, Green Mobility, EU-India Free Trade Agreement.

Why in News?

• India and Germany discuss expansion of trade, energy, cultural linkages; nine agreements signed.

Context:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have decided to launch an Indo-German Partnership for Green and Sustainable Development under which Germany has decided to provide additional development assistance of €10 billion till 2030 to support India’s green growth plans.
• In COP meeting of Glasgow, India increased its climate ambition and showed the world that for us green and sustainable growth is an article of faith. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thank Germany and Chancellor Scholz (for the development assistance). He told, we have decided to form a green hydrogen task force that will help increase green hydrogen infrastructure in both countries.

Focus Areas of Inter-Governmental Consultations:

• The IGC is a unique mechanism which brings together several ministers and officials from both sides, including the two leaders, to engage in bilateral discussions on cooperation and partnership across a range of areas. The focus areas for the IGC included global security policy issues and common efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
• The two sides signed a total of nine agreements during the IGC that includes
  • Renewable energy partnership.
  • Migration and mobility partnership.
  • Joint initiative on the implementation of triangular development cooperation projects in third countries.
  • Joint initiative on forest landscape restoration.

6th Inter-Governmental Consultations- Key Decisions:

• Green and Sustainable Energy Partnership
  • India and Germany agreed to develop a hydrogen roadmap for green and sustainable development, based on inputs by Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force that will be supported by the Indo-German Energy Forum.
  • The two leaders in a statement agreed to establish a green and sustainable energy partnership focusing on innovative solar energy and other renewables.
  • The partnership envisages a whole-of-government approach to India-Germany cooperation on SDGs and climate action and will include associated challenges for electricity grids, storage and market design to enable just energy transition.
  • Germany expressed its intention to provide technical and financial cooperation under the partnership, which includes concessional loans up to 1 billion Euros from 2020-2025.
  • Germany has also agreed to make an advance commitment of 10 billion Euros of new and additional development assistance until 2030.
• Agro-Ecology Cooperation
  • India and Germany also agreed to establish cooperation on 'Agro-ecology and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources' in the agricultural sector. The cooperation is expected to benefit the rural population of India and small-scale farmers by focusing on food security, income, climate resilience, biodiversity, improved soil, water availability and forest restoration.
  • Germany expressed its intention to provide financial and technical cooperation and concessional loans up to 300 million Euros till 2025 for the agro-ecology cooperation depending on project preparation and availability of funds.
  • The two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in restoring forest landscapes under the Bonn Challenge to fight poverty, preserve and restore biodiversity and fight climate change.
• Triangular Development Cooperation Projects in Third Countries
  • The two countries also decided to work on the 'Triangular Development Cooperation’ based on individual experiences and strengths in development cooperation and offer inclusive, sustainable and viable projects in third countries to support the achievement of UN SDGs.
  • The two countries also acknowledged their joint responsibility for the protection of the planet and to enable inclusive and sustainable growth.
• India and Germany on Ukraine Crisis
  • The PM said that India was worried about the humanitarian impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He added that right from the beginning of the conflict India had called for a stop to violence and stressed on the importance of dialogue to sort the crisis. “There will be no winners. All will suffer. That is why we favour peace,” he said.
  • Modi pointed out that because of the disruption caused by the crisis, oil prices were sky high and there was a shortage of food and fertiliser in the world and developing countries and poor nations were suffering the most.
  • The both nations also reiterated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter.
  • They also discussed the destabilizing effect of the Ukraine conflict and its broader regional and global implications and agreed to remain closely engaged on the issue.

EU-India Free Trade Agreement Negotiations:

• India and Germany also underlined the enormous potential of bilateral trade and investment and expressed strong support for upcoming negotiations between the European Union and India in a Free Trade Agreement.
• India and Germany agreed to make supply chains more resilient, diversified, responsible and sustainable.
• Modi expressed hope that the India-EU FTA talks will progress fast on the lines of the FTA deals signed recently with the UAE and Australia that were completed in record time. He said that India’s skilled workers and professionals had benefited the economies of several countries and the Indo-German Comprehensive Mobility and Migration Partnership being worked out will enable smooth movement of work force.

Source: The Hindu BL

Mains Question:

Q. Discuss the focus areas and outcomes of 6th Inter-Governmental Consultations between India and Germany.(250 words).