New Delhi: Weeks ahead of the annual India-EU summit, senior officials from the two sides will this week deliberate on security and resilience of undersea cables as part of broader focus on boosting maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
The next edition of the summit between India and the 27-nation European Union is scheduled to take place on January 27 in New Delhi and possible cooperation in protecting critical undersea infrastructure is likely to figure prominently in the talks.
Around 70 senior military personnel and officials from India, the EU and Indian Ocean countries will hold extensive deliberations on Friday to discuss how to secure critical submarine infrastructure with a focus on sea-cables in the Indian Ocean region.
This meeting is aimed at strengthening cooperation among India, the EU and the larger Indo-Pacific in securing critical undersea infrastructure by mapping risks, sharing best practices, and driving practical technology and policy-led solutions, according to the EU.
“Data cables connect continents and states, link islands to the mainland and connect both EU and India to the rest of the world, carrying 99 per cent of inter-continental internet traffic,” it said.
The data cables have become indispensable to commerce and digital growth across various sectors of the global economy.
However, lying unprotected on the ocean floor, physically accessible and difficult to monitor, undersea infrastructure is vulnerable to malign activities and intentional damage, which can have significant global impacts, the EU said in a readout.
It said the track 1.5 EU-India regional seminar will assess current risks and consider possible responses with an emphasis on regional and global cooperation.
It has been jointly organised by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) of India and European Union and the EU security and defence project ESIWA+ (Enhancing the EU’s Security Cooperation in and with Asia and the Indo-Pacific).
Placing a focus on submarine cables, the workshop represents an essential step forward in the ongoing EU-India maritime security dialogues, EU envoy to India Herve Delphin said.
“Cooperation in the maritime domain is a key component of the strategic EU-India agenda. This workshop on the security and resilience of submarine cables reflects the shared interest we have in developing a comprehensive approach to maritime security,” he said.
The envoy said the EU Action Plan on Cable Security provides a framework to strengthen the security and resilience of submarine cable infrastructures.
It can serve as a basis to develop further cooperation and joint strategies with key international partners like India in this domain, he said.
“The EU’s regional focus on the Indian Ocean is all the more important given the increasing number of initiatives between Europe, India and other regional partners, not least in the context of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and other projects connecting these geographies,” Delphin added.
Director-General of National Maritime Foundation Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (retd) said the workshop will help foster further regional maritime dialogue and action on securing undersea infrastructure, which is critical for economic security and sovereignty.
He said the discussion will in particular identify vulnerabilities, highlight best practices, and promote concrete solutions that integrate technology, policy and cooperation.
The seminar builds on the fourth EU-India Dialogue on maritime security and the ministerial meeting on the protection of critical maritime infrastructure, held last month in Brussels.
The EU said protecting critical maritime infrastructure is vital to the security and prosperity of both the EU and Indo-Pacific regions.
It said guarding undersea infrastructure requires a combination of enhanced surveillance and monitoring systems to detect threats in real time.
“It also demands strategic coordination between governments, private operators, and international partners to ensure rapid response and resilience,” the EU said.
The EU plays a role in enhancing maritime security in the region, in particular with its naval operations Atalanta and Aspides in the North-West Indian Ocean.
