Wednesday, September 7 2005 14:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Giving a new impetus to their ties, India and the European Union (EU) today (Sept 7, 2005) held a landmark summit between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and EU President Tony Blair to establish a security dialogue on global and regional issues covering disarmament and non-proliferation.

Blair, the British Prime Minister, led EU side in his capacity as current President of the Council of EU along with Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

At the summit, India and EU also outlined a joint action plan providing for enhanced cooperation to combat terrorism and other common threats.

India and the EU are intensifying their interactions in promoting effective multi-lateralism, strengthening United Nations (UN) peacekeeping and peace-building, official sources said.

A major part of the action plan is devoted to intensifying economic dialogue and cooperation, trade and investment. It looks at specific measures to help enhanced trade and investment flows between India and the EU in various sectors, the sources said.

The action plan also looks at ways and means of enhancing cooperation over several areas, including the social sector, science and technology, space, energy, clean development and climate change, information and communication technology and transport.