India, Germany agree to cooperate on energy needs

Berlin [Germany], May 30 (ANI): India and Germany on Tuesday agreed to continue cooperation towards the common aim of developing climate-friendly, efficient and sustainable solutions for India's expanding energy needs and other areas of sustainable development. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed appreciation for Germany's assistance in developmental projects over the years. Prime Minister Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the outcome of the Annual Negotiations on development cooperation held in October 2016, as well as the new envisaged commitments in bilateral development cooperation for 2017, each comprising an amount of one billion Euros. Both the leaders expressed great appreciation for the successful cooperation on fostering renewable energies in India. They highlighted the successful Indo-German Solar Partnership founded in 2015 and the cooperation on Green Energy Corridors established in 2013. Building on existing formats of cooperation, the leaders reiterated their support to the Indo-German Climate and Renewables Alliance as an overarching alliance between India and Germany with the objective to give recognition to ongoing collaboration of various stakeholders on energy and climate change as well as to enhance cooperation and synergies in these fields. The leaders underlined the importance of the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) in contributing to the further development of the Indian energy sector. They envisaged holding the next meeting of the Indo-German Energy Forum in the second half of 2017 in India. Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merkel reaffirmed the importance of the Indo-German Environment Forum (IGEnvF) in contributing to further cooperation on environmental issues, including biodiversity and climate change. They agreed to hold the next meeting of the Indo-German Environmental Forum this year in New Delhi. Both sides expressed their commitment to work towards the goals expressed in the New Urban Agenda, agreed at the Habitat III conference in 2016. The Indo-German cooperation on urban development will help to facilitate their implementation. Sustainable urban development was agreed as a new priority area of bilateral cooperation between India and Germany in 2016. Until 2022 Germany intends to provide financial and technical assistance in the range of 1 billion Euros. The Joint Working Group on Sustainable Urban Development identified Kochi, Coimbatore and Bhubaneshwar for bilateral collaboration. Underpinning this cooperation, both sides encouraged to cooperate in the field of spatial and urban monitoring and evaluation systems. They underlined opportunities for German companies in the sector of sustainable urban development opened by India's initiative on 100 Smart Cities. The two leaders welcomed the meetings of the Working Groups for collaboration in Water Management, Waste Management / Circular Economy, and Climate Change held in 2016 and took note of the scheduled meetings for 2017 including the meeting of the proposed Working Group on Biodiversity. They welcomed the ongoing Indo-German cooperation on resource efficiency and called for continuation of joint initiatives in this field. Both Leaders noted the proposed establishment of the G20 Resource Efficiency Partnership. They highlighted the successfully operating Indian Resource Panel (InRP), making India one of the first emerging economies having in place a national advisory body on resource efficiency. The leaders acknowledged, in particular with regard to the G20, the ongoing important work and activities at different levels to fight marine litter and to counteract its impacts. They stressed the need for cooperation to follow-up on the work done so far within the G20. Both sides highlighted the constructive role of the Bilateral Working Group on Agriculture, Food Processing and Consumer Protection with its last meeting in November 2016 in Hannover. Bilateral efforts focused on food safety and residues management, plant protection topics, development of the seed sector, agricultural training and skills enhancement, processing as well as veterinary issues. Recognizing the need to promote an ecosystem that creates entrepreneurial economy, both leaders agreed to promote cooperation in the field of Startups by facilitating interaction with various stakeholders in the Startups ecosystem. (ANI)