India and Netherlands relations

Why is in news? India and Netherlands hold 11th Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi; exchange views on regional and global climate action

India and Netherlands held 11th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in New Delhi, where both sides discussed the way forward in crucial sectors such as Water, Agriculture and Health (WAH agenda), Science and Technology, climate innovation, and renewable technologies.

Considering that the Netherlands is India's third-largest export partner in Europe, both sides are looking forward to strengthening their trade ties through the Joint Trade and Investment Committee Meeting next year.

India and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1947. Year 2022 marks the 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, they have also agreed to institute a Policy Planning Dialogue to look ahead for potential future collaborations.

High level mutual exchanges have provided impetus to the multifaceted partnership between the two countries. Water, Agriculture and Health (WAH) are 3 priority sectors of cooperation besides technology and innovation.

The two sides have Joint Working Groups (JWGs) at functional level in the fields of (i) Science & Technology (ii) Agriculture (iii) Healthcare (iv) Urban Development and (vi) Counter Terrorism.

The Netherlands issued its guidelines on the Indo-Pacific in 2020 which identifies India as a key partner. Both sides recognize the close convergence between each others vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

The Netherlands is the 4th largest investor in India. Bilateral trade touched an all time high of USD 17 billion in 2021-22. This includes exports worth USD 12 billion and imports worth approx. USD 5 billion. The cumulative FDI inflows from Netherlands to India from April 2000 to June 2022 amounted to USD 43 billion.

A Joint Statement to formally establish a bilateral Fast-Track Mechanism (FTM) between India and the Netherlands to facilitate investments by Dutch companies in India, was signed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Embassy of Netherlands on September 27, 2022 in New Delhi.

The ‘Strategic Partnership on Water’ and upgrade the JWG on Water to Ministerial-level during the virtual summit held in April 2021. The Netherlands is engaged with various States and Municipalities in India to implement water related projects including the States of UP (Namami Ganga Programme), Tamil Nadu (water as leverage, water management and conservation) and Kerala (flood management).

India and Netherlands had signed an MoU in the fields of Ports and Maritime Transport and Logistics in 2008, which was extended twice. It had a special focus on research and development, shipbuilding, innovation and sustainability. The 4th Indo-Dutch Forum on Smart & Sustainable Port-Led Development was held in September 2020.

India participated in Floriade 2022, which is an international exhibition and garden festival, held every 10 years in the Netherlands.

An MoU for Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare and Public Health was signed in January 2014 to promote global research collaboration in emerging health challenges associated with communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

India and the Netherlands signed an MoU in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management in 2013. The 4^th meeting of the JWG of urban development was held in June 2021 and discussed cooperation in various fields including in urban development, smart city, waste-to-value projects, geospatial innovation and so on.

India and Netherlands have strong cooperation in Renewable Energy. The Netherlands signed the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in May 2018. India is one of the convening countries of the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA), headquartered in the Netherlands. The Netherlands joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in 2021.

The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) collaborates with major national funders of research in India such as Department of Science and Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), etc.

The Netherlands was India’s partner country in the Technology Summit 2019 held in New Delhi. The Netherlands was partner country with India for the Global Bio India 2021 Virtual Summit which was held in March 2021.

ISRO has long standing cooperation with European Space Agency which has its European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) based in Noordwijk, Netherlands.

Yoga is very popular in the Netherlands. International Day of Yoga 2021 celebrations took place in a hybrid format on 19 June 2021. An ICCR Cultural Centre "The Gandhi Centre" has been functional in The Hague since 2011.

The Netherlands hosts the second largest Indian Diaspora (after UK) in Europe and the largest on mainland Europe. Netherlands is a popular education destination for Indian students, particularly in the field of science & technology.