India-EU Launch Resilience Forum for Tech & Security

Context

India and the European Union (EU) are deepening their partnership on key technology sectors. In order to achieve this, the India-Europe Resilience Forum (IERF) was launched on March 28, 2025, as a Track 1.5 diplomacy initiative. This forum will endeavour to encourage debates and cooperation on new and emerging as well as non-traditional security challenges between India and Europe. It brings on board policy makers and institutions in proactive discussion of matters of common interest.

Key Organizations Involved

• The IERF is co-managed by four organizations.
• Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
• Hanns Seidel Foundation India
• Centre for Social Research
• Centere for Educational and Social Studies, Chanakya University(CU)

These associations will help in the discourse and studies, to enhance India-EU cooperation in these areas.

Focus Areas of Cooperation

In the context of the EU Commission’s visit to India, headed by President Ursula von der Leyen, a joint statement was issued with emphasis on the collaboration on significant topics:

• Trade and investment
• Reducing risks in supply chains
• Innovation and emerging critical technologies
• Digital and green industrial transition
• Space and geospatial sectors
• Defence and security
• People-to-people exchanges

Semiconductor and High-Tech Collaboration

One priority area of India and the EU cooperation is semiconductors. Both parties will collaborate on:

• Strengthening semiconductor supply chains
• Research and development (R&D) in chip design
• Advancing semiconductor technologies
• Improving process design kits (PDK)

This agreement came out of the second Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting and seeks to boost technological resilience.

Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Roundtable

• On the occasion of the IERF launch, the first roundtable meeting was dedicated to the Critical Raw Materials (CRM). 
• India and the EU sector experts assessed challenges and benefits in this area. Both India and the EU are large importers of raw material which is predominantly supplied by China.

Key points from the discussion:

• One expert discouraged treating critical minerals as a politicized issue and talked up the G20 forum to tackle the issue.
• Brazil has made the point about a resilient supply chain.
• Another expert said that India and the EU may be able to deploy their strengths, like India’s strong relationships with Africa, to the resource.

India’s Role in Mineral Security Partnership (MSP)

In June 2023 India became the 14th member of the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP). This partnership includes the EU and other countries with the aim of securing a critical minerals supply chain. The MSP supports:

• Economic growth
• Climate goals
• Government and private sector investments in minerals

Conclusion

By focusing on semiconductors, supply chain strength and critical minerals, this relationship will help both regions to become more independent and technologically advanced. Future cooperation and dialogue will still create and strengthen trade and security ties between India and the EU.

Source: The Hindu

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