As Europe shifts towards India, controversies take a back seat

IN THE six decades since India accredited its first ambassador to the European Economic Community (EEC), perceptions of the world’s most populous democracy have changed dramatically across much of the bloc.

Back then, India was aligned with the then-Soviet Union, and was a protectionist economy moving away from the colonial era. The EEC – the precursor to today’s European Union, consisting of six Western European countries – therefore had a remote relationship with the emerging market giant.

Fast forward to 2023, however, and the contrast is striking: India is this year’s G20 chair with a three trillion-euro economy. It is also increasingly aligned with the West, despite disagreements over Ukraine.