By Gemma Lougheed - 6th September 2005
India has signed an agreement to take part in the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system in New Delhi.
The accord was signed at Wednesday's EU-India summit by the country's chief scientist, G. Madhaven Nair and the European Commission’s representative in India, Francisco Da Camera Gomes.
“This is another step for the development of Galileo as an international programme, but also a major milestone in the EU-India partnership,” said European Commissioner for transport, Jacques Barrot.
Galileo was launched on the initiative of the commission and developed jointly with the European Space Agency.
India is the fourth country to join the Galileo programme, after the signature of agreements with China, Israel and Ukraine.
Discussions are also under way with Argentina, Brazil, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, Chile, South Korea, Malaysia, Canada and Australia.
The two sides have also vouched to secure India's participation in the ITER nuclear fusion project jointly.
Also, a new €1.16 billion India Airlines order for 43 Airbus jets was announced by the Indian prime minister on Wednesday.
This will be welcomed by the EU whose endorsement of an EU-India ‘action plan’, pushes for growth in trade and investment between the two powers.
On fighting terrorism, India and the EU have agreed to hold high level talks on terrorism and its financing and on organised crime in the future.
"We have agreed that there is no place for terrorism in the civilised world, and that we would work together towards fighting it," said Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister.
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