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  January 2nd, 2015 | Written by

EU Adopts Projects to Enhance Cooperation with Latin America, India, and China

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  • EU project dedicated to cooperation with India on ICT standardization, policy, and legislation.
  • EU-India project on ICT will boost trade opportunities for European companies, and eliminate market access barriers.
  • EU project will support EU engagement in China through people-to-people contacts.

The European Commission has approved four new projects with a combined budget of $12.33 million to enhance the EU’s cooperation with China, India, and Brazil as well as the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region on matters of common interest.

These projects bring the overall contribution in support of the EU’s strategic interests to $112.7 million this year.

Building on the outcome of the EU-CELAC (Community of Latin America and Caribbean states) Summit in June 2015, a new initiative will be introduced: the LAC Regional Facility for International Cooperation and Partnership will, with $3.3 million over 36 months, boost relations and promote alliance-building between the EU and its Latin American partners in areas of mutual interest. This facility is complemented by $13.2 million funded by the Development Cooperation Instrument aimed at poverty reduction by supporting South-South and multilateral development cooperation in the LAC region.

In the framework of the EU-Brazil strategic partnership, a new facility to reinforce sectorial political dialogues will be put in place. With a budget of $4.4 million over three years, this facility will aim to strengthen relations between the EU and Brazil by fostering sector dialogues on priority themes of mutual interest and implementing actions that will boost the different bilateral agreements.

In the context of the EU’s Digital Single Market strategy and to support its external dimension, the EU is dedicating $2.6 million to cooperation with India on Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-related standardization, policy, and legislation. This action will improve and reinforce the EU ICT sector market in India. The project will help boost trade, investment, and business opportunities for European companies, while eliminating barriers to market access and investment, by means of regulatory cooperation and exchange of statistical data and metadata.

The fourth new project will support the stepping up of EU engagement in China through people-to-people contacts: EU Policy and Outreach Partnership in China, funded at $2 million, is a Public Diplomacy tool which aims at giving the EU a stronger voice and at reinforcing its capacity to engage with local publics and stakeholders. Funds from this action will also provide for the training of Chinese and Mongolian interpreters.

The projects are being funded by the Partnership Instrument, an EU program which funds projects that enable the European Union to take part in shaping global change and promote its fundamental values. Through the Partnership Instrument, the EU cooperates with partners around the world to advance its strategic interests to tackle global challenges.