On September 28, 2020, a Virtual Bilateral Summit was held between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen which was hosted by India to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries. The summit saw the conversations of the same opinions and a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
- It should be noted that PM Modi proposed the creation of India-Denmark Green Energy Park to help Danish companies active in India along with India-Denmark Skill Institute to help Danish companies operating in India to select the people they require from the local skilled population.
- Note – With this summit, Denmark became the first European country with which India held a virtual summit.
- On the other hand, Denmark has proposed to host the second ‘Knowledge Summit’ and if the situation normalizes.
Signing of MoU:
A MOU in the field of intellectual property (IP) cooperation between India and Denmark was signed by the India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with Danish Patent and Trademark Office. This MoU is a landmark step in India’s journey towards becoming a major player in global innovation and further the objectives of National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy, 2016.
Cooperation between India-Denmark agreed during the Summit:
–Both nations agreed to elevate India-Denmark relations to a Green Strategic Partnership.
- The Green Strategic Partnership is a mutually beneficial arrangement to advance political cooperation, expand economic relations and green growth, create jobs and strengthen cooperation with focus UN (United Nations) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
–The two Prime Ministers agreed to cooperate in water efficiency and non-revenue water (water loss) through the Indo-Danish Water Technology Alliance.
- In this regard, the Indian Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food are tasked to develop a Work Plan for an initial period of three years (2021-23).
–India and Denmark agreed to hold regular consultations and dialogue on climate change and renewable energy at various levels.
–The Strategic Sector Cooperation on offshore wind and renewable energy, as well as the India-Denmark Energy Partnership (INDEP) will be further strengthened.
–Both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in sustainable urban development, including in smart cities through the Urban Living Lab in Goa.
–Both sides also agreed to strengthen existing City-to-City cooperation between Udaipur and Aarhus and Tumakuru and Aalborg.
–The two sides agree to build on existing strong bilateral science, technology and innovation (STI) partnerships.
–They agreed to work on expanding commercial opportunities for businesses by creating more favorable environments for the life science sector along with possibilities for labour mobility and ease of travel between the two countries.
–Both sides expressed their willingness for collaboration within the framework of the Arctic Council in the area of climate change.
India-Denmark Relations:
India- Denmark bilateral relations are marked by regular high level exchanges which are premise on the Joint Commission for Cooperation [signed February 6, 2009].
- Bilateral trade in goods and services between India and Denmark has grown by 30.49%, from US$ 2.82 billion in 2016 to US$ 3.68 billion in 2019.
- Around 200 Danish companies have invested in India in sectors such as shipping, renewable energy, environment, agriculture, food processing, smart urban development etc.
- Several major Danish companies have built new manufacturing factories under the ‘Make in India’ scheme.
- Around 25 Indian companies are present in Denmark in IT, renewable energy and engineering.
Recent Related News:
- To develop strong cooperation and promote strategic intervention in the power sector, an MoU on the Indo-Denmark Cooperation between the Ministry of Power, Government of the Republic of India and the Ministry for Energy, Utilities and Climate, Government of the Kingdom of Denmark was signed on 5th June 2020.
- In accordance with the 2nd edition of global research “Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2020” released by online privacy solutions provider SurfShark, India ranked 57th out of 85 countries in terms of overall category “Digital Quality of Life 2020” with 0.5 index points which has been topped by Denmark with 0.79 points.
About Denmark:
Capital– Copenhagen
Currency– Danish krone
