India inks tech pact with EU – only the US has the same deal

India's government and the European Union have signed up to create a "Trade and Technology Council" – an entity the EU has previously only created to enhance its relationship with the United States.

Details of the Council's scope of operations have not been revealed, but the EU/US version of the entity works on standards for emerging technologies, tech supply chains (including semiconductors), information security, data governance, preventing misuse of technology when it threatens security and human rights, and SME access to and use of digital technologies.

The EU has billed the formation of the Council as "a strong basis to intensify mutually beneficial and deeper strategic cooperation."

India has recently started to promote a "Techade" of industry development. That plan calls for the nation to become a semiconductor manufacturing power, see its Institutes of Technology – elite universities that have produced many Silicon Valley CEOs – play a larger role in the technology world, and to grow startups in fields including information security. The creation of the Council advances and validates the Techade strategy, and elevates India to a position only the US enjoys when talking tech with Europe – which will go down very well indeed at home.

• Infosys noncompete clause sparks complaint from labor rights org
• China accused of cyberattacks on Indian power grid
• India's tech manufacturing growth stalled as COVID raged
• Bank had no firewall license, intrusion or phishing protection – guess the rest

India's tech industry and capabilities have also been recognized by the UK, as the two nations late last week detailed the Enhanced Cyber Security Partnership announced in May 2021.

The Partnership includes:

• Deeper co-ordination on mitigation strategies against Advanced Persistent Threats and cooperation on tackling cybercrime;
• Recognition of UN norms that call for a prohibition on using information technology to intentionally damage or impair critical infrastructure, and suggest an obligation "to respond to appropriate requests to mitigate malicious ICT activity aimed at the critical infrastructure of another state emanating from their territory";
• A commitment to work with the International Counter Ransomware Initiative, and to elaborate on UN plans that aim to develop a convention against cybercrime;
• A partnership to work on mutual cyber-resilience;
• A pledge to work with technology suppliers to ensure their products and services are safe for consumers.

If those efforts evolve as quickly as the Partnership – which required 11 months to go from press release to bullet point list – both nations will be magnificently secure before we know it. ®