Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: India-France relation;
Why in the News?
France is set to host more than 100 heads of state, government leaders, and senior officials for the 19th Francophonie Summit on October 4-5, 2024.
How can Technology Enhance Diplomatic Efforts Between India and France?
- Digital Collaboration: The summit emphasizes cooperation in digital technology, which can strengthen ties through joint projects, knowledge sharing, and innovation in areas like AI and cybersecurity.
- Facilitating Communication: Technology, particularly AI, can enhance communication between diplomats and stakeholders, enabling more efficient exchanges and negotiations in multiple languages.
- Showcasing Innovations: Events like the FrancoTech Fair will provide platforms for Indian and French innovators to collaborate on addressing common challenges, fostering deeper bilateral relations through shared technological advancements.
What Role Does Diversity Play in Shaping Diplomatic Strategies?
- Cultural Exchange: Emphasizing multilingualism and cultural diversity fosters mutual understanding and strengthens relationships, allowing for more nuanced diplomatic interactions.
- Inclusive Decision-Making: Acknowledging diverse perspectives helps create more representative and effective diplomatic strategies, ensuring that various stakeholders are considered in negotiations.
- Promotion of Values: Embracing diversity aligns with the core values of democracy and human rights, which can enhance the credibility and appeal of diplomatic efforts.
What are the Implications of Global Cooperation in Addressing Contemporary Issues?
- Shared Responsibility: Global cooperation is essential for addressing challenges like climate change, health crises, and digital governance, promoting collective action and resource sharing among nations.
- Strengthening Multilateral Institutions: Enhancing cooperation leads to reforms in institutions like the UN, World Bank, and IMF, making them more effective and responsive to global needs.
- Fostering Innovation: Collaborative efforts among nations can drive innovation in technology and policy, enabling quicker and more effective responses to pressing global issues and facilitating knowledge exchange.
Way forward:
- Establish Joint Innovation Initiatives: India and France should create collaborative platforms for research and development in emerging technologies, focusing on areas like AI, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure to enhance diplomatic relations and tackle common global challenges.
- Promote Multicultural Diplomatic Engagement: Both nations should prioritize cultural exchanges and inclusive dialogue that reflect diverse perspectives, thereby strengthening mutual understanding and fostering more effective and representative diplomatic strategies.
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Election of French President
Mains level: Impact of French on India
Why in the news?
On June 30, during the first phase of the French elections called after President Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly dissolved parliament, the far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies emerged as frontrunners with a 33% vote share.
Why did French President Emmanuel Macron decide to dissolve parliament and call for snap elections?
- Strategic Decision: Macron dissolved parliament three years early to seek a clear majority for governance. His centrist bloc suffered a major defeat in the European Parliament elections against the RN. The decision aimed to consolidate votes against the rising far-right influence.
- Low Approval Ratings: Macron’s approval ratings plummeted to 36%. The snap election was seen as a gamble to prevent the RN from gaining more power.
How did the far-right National Rally become so popular?
- Rebranding and Policy Changes: Under Marine Le Pen, the RN rebranded from the National Front (FN). The party softened its stance on extreme policies, like leaving the EU.
- Response to Societal Issues: Capitalized on fears of cultural clashes, cost-of-living crises, and dissatisfaction with Macron’s policies. Opposed immigration and advocated for ‘national priority’ policies favoring French citizens in social services.
- Political Strategy: Increased its presence in provincial towns and among blue-collar workers. Rose from 7 seats to 89 in the French parliament in 2022, aiming for 240-300 seats now.
How are the two rounds of elections conducted in France?
- First Phase: Equivalent to a qualifying round where candidates need at least 12.5% of locally registered votes.Candidates who get more than half the votes win outright.
- Second Phase: Candidates meeting the qualifying criteria move to the second round. Common practice of ‘horse-trading’ where parties form alliances to avoid splitting votes.
- Overall Structure:577 seats in the French parliament. A party needs 289 seats for an absolute majority.
Why have left-wing parties also formed a bloc?
- Republican Front Strategy: Centrist and left-wing parties team up to prevent right-wing parties from gaining power.Formation of the New Popular Front is a reference to the 1936 alliance against far-right rioters.
- Electoral Tactics: Over 200 candidates from centre and left alliances have dropped out to consolidate votes against the RN. Aimed at countering the RN’s rise and preventing fragmentation of the anti-RN vote.
- Challenges and Unity: Presence of controversial leftist figures like Jean-Luc Mélenchon has made the unity fragile.Despite internal differences, the bloc aims to present a united front against the far-right surge.
Conclusion: The rise of the far-right National Rally in France may lead to stricter immigration policies, affecting Indian students, workers, and diaspora. Economic relations could face uncertainties, impacting trade and bilateral cooperation. So,India’s diplomatic strategies may need adjustments to navigate the changing political landscape in France.
Mains PYQ:
Q Critically examine the procedures through which the Presidents of India and France are elected. (UPSC IAS/2022)
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Bordering countries of France
Mains level: How France is India’s steadfast partner in achieving its sustainability goals?
Why in the news?
On July 14, 2023, in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi elevated the ‘Partnership for the Planet’ to one of the three central pillars of the Indo-French Horizon 2047 Roadmap.
Indo-French Horizon 2047 Roadmap are:
- Strategic Partnership: Enhancing defense, security, and geopolitical ties.
- Economic Partnership: Promoting trade, investments, and sustainable development.
- Partnership for the Planet: Focusing on environmental sustainability and green technologies.
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India- France Bilateral Ties
- Strategic Partnership: India and France established a strategic partnership in 1998, which covers cooperation in defense, civil nuclear energy, space, and security. This partnership is considered a cornerstone of their bilateral ties.
- High-Level Exchanges: There have been frequent high-level exchanges between the leaders of both countries, including state visits and participation in each other’s national events like the Republic Day parade. This demonstrates the close political ties.
- Defense Cooperation: Defense is a major pillar of the India-France partnership. The two countries conduct joint military exercises, collaborate on defense equipment manufacturing, and have an “intelligence and information exchange” mechanism.
- Space Cooperation: India and France have robust space cooperation, including co-development and launch of satellites, research on new launch technologies, and connecting startups. They recently launched a Strategic Space Dialogue to guide their space partnership.
- Convergence on Indo-Pacific: Both countries share concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. They have agreed to intensify cooperation in the strategically important Southwest Indian Ocean and work with other like-minded countries to address regional security challenges.
How France is India’s steadfast partner to achieve its sustainability goals?
- Financial Support: France, through the French Development Agency (AFD) and Proparco, has committed substantial financial resources to India. This includes over €4 billion since 2008 for nearly 100 projects, with a significant focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Strategic Focus Areas: Cooperation spans key sectors like energy transition, sustainable urban development, biodiversity conservation, resilience of territories, and reduction of inequalities. These efforts contribute directly to India’s sustainable development agenda.
- Project Implementation: AFD’s involvement in projects such as metro systems in Pune and Nagpur, forest conservation in Rajasthan, and urban water management across 20 cities demonstrates tangible contributions to India’s environmental and social sustainability.
- Partnership in Innovation: Collaborative initiatives underpinning innovation, including the Indo-French Year of Innovation in 2026, aimed at fostering solutions that integrate social inclusion with environmental sustainability.
- Indo-Pacific Engagement: Strengthening bilateral ties with an Indo-Pacific dimension, focusing on initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership and joint funds for scaling up green technologies, showcasing France’s commitment to regional sustainability efforts.
Private sector-led projects
- Investment in Agriculture: Proparco’s €11.2 million investment in Sahyadri, supports farmer-led initiatives to reduce farm losses, pesticide and fertilizer use, and enhance yields and produce quality.
- Healthcare Investments: Proparco’s €33 million equity investment in Quadria, aimed at improving access to affordable quality healthcare in underserved regions of India and Southeast Asia.
- Innovation and Sustainability: Emphasis on innovative solutions blending social inclusion with sustainability, such as through the Indo-French Year of Innovation in 2026 and joint efforts to scale up green technologies in the Indo-Pacific region.
Way forward:
- Strengthen bilateral agreements to facilitate smoother cooperation and ensure compliance with international sustainability standards.
- Foster deeper public-private partnerships to leverage expertise, funding, and innovation for sustainable development projects.
- Promote continuous high-level dialogues and joint initiatives to address global challenges, enhance regional security, and drive economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Mains PYQ:
Q What were the events that led to the Suez Crisis in 1956? How did it deal a final blow to Britain’s self-image as a world power? (UPSC IAS/2014)
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, including France.
Mains level: India-France Bilateral relations
Central Idea:
The article discusses the robust and special “Strategic Partnership” between India and France, tracing its origins, evolution, and current dimensions. It emphasizes the enduring nature of the relationship, marked by shared values, geopolitical convergence, and mutual respect, evident in diverse sectors such as defense, space, education, and commerce.
Key Highlights:
- Origins and Evolution: The strategic partnership has deep roots dating back to 1998, with France being the first P-5 country to support India’s claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
- Geopolitical Convergence: Both nations prioritize multipolarity, strategic autonomy, and share concerns about a unipolar world, contributing to their natural convergence.
- Defense Collaboration: Collaboration includes the development of submarines, joint military exercises, and the acquisition of Rafale aircraft. The recently concluded Defense Industrial Roadmap further strengthens defense ties.
- Space Cooperation: Cooperation in the space domain, which began in the 1960s, has seen a revival, with joint missions and agreements signed between ISRO and CNES.
- Commercial and Civilian Ties: Efforts are underway to broaden the partnership into commercial and civilian spaces, with joint working groups in various sectors and a growing number of Indian students pursuing higher education in France.
Key Challenges:
- Commercial Transition: Moving the partnership from government domains to commercial and civilian spaces presents a challenge, requiring sustained efforts to enhance cooperation in diverse sectors.
- Differences Management: While strategic partnerships don’t require convergence on all issues, managing differences privately and not publicly is crucial for maintaining a mature and resilient relationship.
Key Terms:
- Strategic Partnership: A special relationship between nations marked by cooperation in various domains, including defense, space, and commerce.
- Multipolarity: A global order characterized by multiple centers of power and influence rather than a single dominant force.
- P-5: The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, including France.
- Geopolitical Focus: Shifting attention and strategic interests from one region to another based on changing global dynamics.
Key Phrases:
- Civilization Exceptionalism: Shared trait between India and France, emphasizing pride in their respective civilizations without imposing their values on each other.
- Argumentative Intellectualism: Common characteristic shared by both nations, highlighting their appreciation for intellectual discourse.
Key Quotes:
- “India and France have valued strategic autonomy in their own fashion.”
- “‘Strategic Partnership’ does not require convergence on all issues but sensitivity so that differences, where these exist, are expressed in private and not publicly.”
Key Examples and References:
- Jacques Chirac’s Declaration (1998): France’s support for India’s claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
- Defense Industrial Roadmap: Agreements and collaborations in the defense sector, including the acquisition of Rafale aircraft and submarine development.
Key Statements:
- “It is clear that the two countries do share a ‘Strategic Partnership’ that is special.”
- “Both countries were quick to espouse the virtues of multipolarity.”
Critical Analysis:
The article provides a comprehensive overview of the India-France strategic partnership, highlighting its historical context, geopolitical rationale, and practical manifestations. It underscores the challenges of transitioning from government-centric collaborations to broader commercial and civilian engagements. The emphasis on managing differences privately and the maturity of the relationship reflect a nuanced understanding of international diplomacy.
Way Forward:
- Enhanced Commercial Ties: Continued efforts to broaden the partnership into commercial and civilian sectors, fostering economic collaboration beyond defense and space.
- Cultural and Educational Exchange: Strengthening cultural ties, fostering educational collaborations, and encouraging more Indian students to pursue higher education in France.
- Diplomatic Sensitivity: Maintaining sensitivity in handling differences and ensuring that diplomatic disputes are resolved privately to uphold the mature and resilient nature of the partnership.
The India-France Strategic Partnership, rooted in shared values and mutual respect, continues to evolve positively, presenting opportunities for further growth and collaboration across various domains.
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: India- France joint exercises
Mains level: India- France relations and strategic partnership
Context
- The celebration by India and France of 25 years of their strategic partnership (January 26) presents an important opportunity for both to introspect on their relations. Signed in 1998, the time-tested strategic partnership has continued to gain momentum over shared values and aspirations of peace, stability and, most importantly, their desire for strategic autonomy. There are no real substantive disagreements between the two nations.
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France a largest foreign investor in India
- France has emerged as a key trading partner of India with annual trade of $12.42 billion in 2021-22.
- It is the 11th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of $10.31 billion from April 2000 to June 2022, which represents 1.70% of the total foreign direct investment inflows into India.
France a key defence trading partner of India
- Second largest defence supplier in 2017-2021: France has emerged as a key defence partner for India, becoming the second largest defence supplier in 2017- 2021. France has emerged as a major strategic partner for India with crucial defence deals and increased military to military engagement.
- For example: A key example of this is the inducting of the French Scorpene conventional submarines, being built in India under technology transfer agreement of 2005, and the Indian Air Force having received 36 Rafale fighter jets.
- Joint venture for aircraft manufacturing: The Tata group has also tied up with Airbus to manufacture C-295 tactical transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. This line is expected to be expanded into other civilian and military aircraft manufacturing in a joint venture with France.
- Regular joint exercises: These relations are further fortified with the robust network of military dialogues and regularly held joint exercises Varuna (navy), Garuda (air force), and Shakti (army).
- France is a willing partner for India: The importance of the defence partnership was further underscored in the recent statement by the French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain that France is a willing partner for India as it builds its national industrial base for the defence industry and for critical strategic defence projects.
Maritime ties
- Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region: India and France are resident powers of the Indian Ocean and in the Indo-Pacific. The importance of the Indian Ocean Region was visible during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to New Delhi in 2018 when the leadership of both countries welcomed the Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region which presented a blueprint for a strengthening of ties.
- Like-minded partners: In operational terms, Franco-Indian joint patrolling in the Indian Ocean signals New Delhi’s intent to engage with like-minded partners in expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean.
- Common vision for open Indo-Pacific: Maritime security has further gained momentum as both countries have articulated their common vision for a free, fair and open Indo-Pacific. Both countries seeks to provide comprehensive solutions for maritime security, regional cooperation, climate change adaptation.
- Common concerns over China’s aggressive behaviour: Both countries share concerns over the rise of China and its aggressive behaviour, regionally and globally, and have committed to working together to ensure that there is no imbalance in the Indo-Pacific
- Indo-Pacific Trilateral Development Cooperation Fund: India and France in September 2022 agreed to set up an Indo-Pacific Trilateral Development Cooperation Fund that will support sustainable innovative solutions for countries in the region. The two partners have formed a trilateral grouping with the United Arab Emirates to ensure maritime domain awareness and security from the east coast of Africa to the far Pacific.
- Nuclear cooperation: France was among the first countries with which India signed a civil nuclear deal. Paris also played a critical role in limiting India’s isolation in the non-proliferation order after the 1998 nuclear tests.
- Support for India’s bid for permanent membership of UNSC: In a sign of expanding cooperation, France supports India’s bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council as well as its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
- India supported France in the Paris Agreement: An area of importance for both is climate change, where India has supported France in the Paris Agreement expressing its strong commitment towards mitigating climate change impact. New Delhi and Paris, as part of their joint efforts on climate change, launched the International Solar Alliance in 2015.
- Deepening cooperation in complex geological order: As the complexities in the international geopolitical order have emerged, both countries have worked towards a deepening and broadening of their cooperation.
Way ahead
- India’s partnership with France is built on common values and goals.
- Both have underlined the importance of maintaining strategic autonomy with a shared understanding of global risks in many domains.
- There is a high-level India-France political dialogue that is ongoing in defence, maritime, counterterrorism and the Indo-Pacific.
- They are now forging ahead with cooperation in issues such as digitisation, cyber, green energy, a blue economy, ocean sciences, and space.
Conclusion
- India and France understand each other’s interests and dependencies, be it in relation to China or Russia. In the marking of a long strategic partnership, a common interest in enhancing strategic autonomy and improving resilience, there is much ground ahead for further collaboration.
Mains question
Q. India’s partnership with France is built on common values and goals. In recent times, France has emerged as a key defence trading partner of India. Discuss.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Not much.
Mains level: Paper 3- India-France relations
Context
Defence cooperation has been one of the fundamentals of the bilateral relationship between India and France, which developed a close and ambitious strategic partnership for over 20 years.
Defence cooperation between France and India
- A long history of cooperation: The defence cooperation between our two countries can be traced back to the first few years following India’s Independence.
- As early as 1953, the Indian Air Force was equipped with a hundred Toofani fighter jets from Dassault, then the Mystère IV, which defended India in tough times.
- This marked the first page in the history of cooperation in military aviation, which also recorded the supply of 60 Mirage 2000s in the 1980s.
- Rafale deal: The ongoing delivery of 36 Rafales is being done as per the schedule.
- The first batch of aircraft, currently being used to train Indian pilots, will land at Air Force Station Ambala within a few months.
- Partnership in maritime domain: Today, the partnership has been deployed in the maritime domain, in support of our joint strategic vision for the maintenance of stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.
- As far as naval equipment is concerned, the Indian Navy has already commissioned two of the six submarines built in Mumbai as part of an industrial partnership between Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Naval Group.
Industrial cooperation between the two countries
- Support to indigenous production: As for industrial cooperation, the French approach has always been, whenever possible, to offer partial indigenous production in India.
- France was largely a precursor with regard to Make in India, with HAL manufacturing the light helicopters Cheetah and Chetak, and BDL’s Milan anti-tank missile in India in the 1960s.
- It continues this policy today. The plant built under the Dassault Aviation and Reliance joint venture will enable, for example, the complete production of the Falcon 2000 business jet here in India by 2022.
- Transfer of technology: After the delivery of the first two Scorpene submarines, transfers of technology provided by the Naval Group enabled MDL to be solely in charge of building the next four submarines.
- The design of these submarines has thus become largely Indian knowhow.
- Safran will soon inaugurate an aircraft wiring systems factory in Hyderabad and also build another major facility to manufacture LEAP turbofan engine components.
- Thales is investing massively in engineering works in Bengaluru, MBDA is building a plant in Coimbatore and French aeronautical equipment manufacturer Latécoère recently inaugurated a factory in Belgaum.
Opportunities for further cooperation
- Developing the supply chain at all the levels: The French aerospace industries association, GIFAS, and GICAN, the French Marine Industry Group, are organising a seminar focused on this subject during DefExpo.
- Along with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), they are exploring opportunities for developing Indo-French industrial partnerships at all stages of the production chain.
- Promoting Make in India: India can count on France being by its side for its Make in India enterprise.
Conclusion
India and France both share the same vision for a new balanced multipolar world, which must be based on the rule of law. They also share the same vision on the main challenges of the times, be they security developments in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, or combating international terrorism. But it is by possessing the capability of ensuring national security and making strategic choices that most efficiently defend their shared principles and visions.
