India and Italy have agreed to sign a broad five-year initiative and named it a Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029. This grand strategy was announced when PM Narendra Modi met his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during a bilateral meeting on the side-line of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. The plan specifies the proposed pattern of cooperation with other major sectors such as defence, space, trade, energy and technology.
Enhancing International Defence Relations
One of the main goals of the action plan is on strengthening the defence partnership between the two countries. This consists of annual consultation of defence ministers, annual consultations of chiefs of defence staff, annual defence ministerial meetings and annual meetings of defence officials, joint defence talk and annual joint staff talks to enable formulation of common and joint communication and implementation of exchange of information or visits and participation in training activities. It also provides guidance on improving the levels of interoperability and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, a region which has grown to be of great interest to Italy.
Expanding Space Collaboration
They outlined the ASI and ISRO cooperation in the action plan. The areas of cooperation with integrated activities will encompass Earth observation missions, helio-physics, and exploration activities with focus on lunar research. By mid-2025 an Italian delegation of representatives of space industry is to visit India to promote such ventures.
Trade and Commercial Cooperation
The economic cooperation has also been identified as a significant part of the action plan among the mentioned priorities. Both nations have set goals of cooperation in industrial partnerships, technological centres or other areas, investment horizons in spheres like automotive industries, semiconductors, infrastructures and other advanced sectors. The plan also aims at improving cooperation in sea and ground connectivity especially under the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC).
Science Technology and Innovation
This means that the action plan emphasises cooperation in science, technology and innovations. It is also about deepening cooperation on priority and emerging spheres including telecommunication, artificial intelligence and digitalization of the spheres of services. The plan also includes the goals of growing a technology value chain and encouraging partnerships and collaborations in research and innovations of mutual interests.
Migration and Mobility
This dimension identified in the action plan is migration and mobility. To ensure this the two countries seek to encourage the use of legal migration and non-exploitation of labour training and recruitment process. A pilot programme will be implemented to train such health professionals in India and their employment in Italy to share knowledge and skills.
Energy Transition and Sustainability
India wants to increase renewable energy cooperation and accelerate the expansion of the Global Biofuels Alliance and International Solar Alliance. This is in consideration with current endeavours to fight climate change and the look forward to a sustainable future.
India-Italy Relations
India and Italy have enjoyed different types of relations with one another in different areas such as trade, technology, culture and defence and many others. In recent years, the two countries have blown new exciting actions towards enhancing the partnership by signing plans and strategies as the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029. The broad concept of this plan is a vision on joint work with other important ministries such as the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Space Affairs, etc.
India and Italy have had diplomatic relations since 1947 after the former got its independence from British rule. During the decades the cooperation changed and both sides realized that cooperation is crucial in the presence of global threats. The two nations have also enjoyed mutual exchanges in high level visits and dialogues that have created a proper channel for the partnership.
India and Italy have realized the enhanced potential of economic relations in the last few years. Total export between the two countries reached the record level of 14.28 billion euros in 2022-23. Indian exports namely Equipment used in O&G sector (Oil and Gas sector), automotive and other industries reached Italy to €10.06 billion, a growth of 60.5 percent and Imports from Italy to India were up by 24.23 percent to €4.82 billion, creating a trade surplus in India’s favour €5.24 billion. Italy is India’s fourth largest trading partner in the European Union after Germany, Belgium and Netherlands.
Security cooperation has formed the solid foundation of relations between New Delhi and Rome. There has been cooperation especially in manufacturing and sharing of technology in such areas as defence and aerospace industries. Italy has also cooperated in the security aspect by sending a person to the Information Fusion Center – Indian Ocean Region (IFC IOR) to strengthen anti-piracy efforts. The cooperation in counter terrorism has been made possible by the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism.
The latest Plan is to step up the scope and depth of collaboration between the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). These projects will be in the area of Earth observation, space physics, and exploration, but will prioritize lunar research. There is also an academic exchange plan to bring academia to work on space technology to complement the companies and academics.
India and Italy have agreed to further enhance cooperation for energy transition and sustainability. Both the countries are member of the Global Biofuels Alliance and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) to encourage use of non-conventional sources of energy and environmentally friendly practices. This collaboration supports the objectives of the global Paris agreement dealing with change in climate and diversity of the future.
The current cultural and educational exchange has been a great boost for fostering India – Italy relation. There have been increased people to people contacts through offering scholarships, exchange programs and collaborations in research between the two nations.
The Importance of Italy for India in Different International Organizations
India and Italy has complex relations which have formed over years of their partnership. These relations do not only cover bilateral relations but also cover strategic partnership at different multilateral forums. Italy is significant for India because the two countries have cooperated on climate change, trade, security and in multilateral diplomacy.
Climate Change and Environmental Cooperation
Italy has been one of the foremost allies of India as far as dealing with climate change and encouraging sustainability is concerned. The two nations are founding members of global leagues like the Global Bio Fuel Alliance and the International Solar Alliance. Their cooperation is to advance renewable power, combat greenhouse emissions, and fulfil the Paris climate accord targets. Italy has been providing support for extended years into renewable energy with many technological developments and great experience to set into the right direction for a country like India with the willingness to switch over into low carbon economy.
The Frameworks like United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India and Italy developed coherent stances to promote fairness-based climate policies. Combined efforts that translate into collective advocacy for frequently braced climate change movements improve their leverage in the negotiation processes.
TRADE AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES
Italy happens to be one of India’s important trading partners within the European Union. Overall the use of goods traded between the two countries has been on the rise and the trade benefits the two countries. In Specific the importance of Italy for India in WTO is based on the fact that both Italy and India are alike when it comes to commitment on fair and transparent trading system. They share common visions of free and increased trade with fewer barriers to the production of their businesses.
Italy more so has backed India for a permanent membership seat in a reformist UN Security Council which shows the strategic cooperation existing there. Italy being one of the larger member country of EU has significant influence over the polices of the trade hence it support is quite valuable for India in its effort to attain better trade rules in the EU.
Defence and Security Cooperation
Both India and Italy make efforts to expand the field of cooperation in defence and security by signing necessary agreements and using joint measures. Why has Italy been critical for India in these multilateral forums? Because both states have partnered in fields such as Maritime security, counter Terrorism and Defence Technology. The parties have held combined naval drills and have collaborated in the exchange of intelligence to improve security of the two nations’ neighbourhood.
The IFC-IOR shows Italy as being actively involved in the realization of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific. Presence of this collation improves capacity of India in the-surveillance and combating of maritime threats hence fostering the integrity of the region.
Multilateral Diplomacy
The strategic partnership of Italy in the EU and other international organizations makes it a suitable partner for India on the international diplomacy forum. Italy has endorsed the Indian candidature for permanent membership of an unreformed UNSC, and both nations have advocated the renewal of international organisation. Italy and India have been similar positions in group such as G20 on the issue such as, climate finance and sustainable development.
The fact that Italy hosted G20 in 2021 had availed a chance for both nations to work together in an effort to find solutions to some of the global realities that includes the Covid-19 pandemic, matters related to economic growth and climate change. Altogether these activities contributing to the Navigation of the G20 agenda prove the significance of their cooperation in diplomacy.
Cultural and educational exchanges
Cultural and educational exchanges between India and Italy have been developed to improve people’s closer contacts and better understanding. They have encouraged teaching and research co-operation, as well as policies that support exchange for students. Italy is recognized as a very important nation for India in multilateral cultural platforms due to its close values and interests in conserving the cultures and history of respective people.
Conclusion
Italy is strategically important to India in a number of international forums and the relationship has a privileged depth. Working together in climate change, trade, security, and multilateral diplomacy improves their impact and helps to cope with global problems. Thus, India and Italy to strengthen multifaceted cooperation to improve the quality of life for their peoples and the whole world is important.
Rio Summit
The nineteenth G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro from November 18-19, 2024, where leaders from the world’s twenty largest economies came together to discuss some of the most challenging issues in an effort to help sustain the global development. Convened in Brazil, the BRICS summit gathered leaders from the world’s largest economies: the countries that control approximately 85% of total gross world product, 75% of total global trade and about 66 percent of the world’s entire human population.
Key Themes and Priorities
The main themes include social justice, such as social inclusion into appropriate communities and the reduction of hunger and poverty, environment and sustainable development, particularly the evolution of the energy systems, finally, reformation of international organizations. These themes were summed up in the Rio Declaration while providing for practical steps on how to get to these ends.
- Social Inclusion and Fight against Hunger and Poverty: The summit also sensitizes the international community on the questions of inequality in the world and non-abandonment of anyone. The Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty was established and has the vision of bringing together finance and knowledge in an effort to provide support to large scale programmes based on evidence which seek to have an impact on hunger and poverty in the world.
- Sustainable Development and Energy Transitions: Ministers and heads of delegation renewed their obligations under the Paris agreement, and called for a shift towards cleaner energy. The topics included issues related to renewable energy sources and discussing measures to reduce CO2emissions as well as on the challenges of a decent transition from fossil fuels.
- Reform of Global Governance Institutions: The Summit also recognized the need for profound democratizations of global institutions including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations Security Council. The main goal refers to the promotion of the direct concerns of the Global South in international politics.
Major Discourse and Findings
- Climate Change and Energy Transition: The summit recognized the fact that there is a need to move from billions to trillions, in climate finance, contributions from all sources. However, there was no consensus on who would provide these trillions, and the pledge for a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels was not reaffirmed.
- Conflict Resolution and Peace Efforts: As to the fresh tendentious discourse about the use or threat of force in order to occupy territory, many leaders endorsed the yearning for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon. The crises which were addressed during the summit were in regard to diplomacy and negotiations as the way forward towards stability.
- Economic Outlook and Trade: The G20 leaders deliberated on the state of the world economy as concerning geopolitical tension, trade friction, and the impacts of coronavirus. They think that global economic soft landing remains possible but warned that this also specifies that stakeholders should remain alert and act jointly.
High level Meetings and Bilateral talks
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi was seen shaking hands with outgoing President Joe Biden during the summit just proving the significance of India-US relations. Both of them touched on several topics such as commerce, innovation, and security.