The environmental crisis is one of the greatest threat of the 21st century, but it also represents a remarkable opportunity to redefine our economic system on sustainable grounds.

In this new economic system, collaboration and clean technology are the corner stones. Cleantech collaboration between the European Union and India appear particularly promising. The European Union, on one hand, has proven to be a leader of clean technology. India, on the other hand, is in the urgent need to deploy and develop clean technologies in order to improve the well-being of its population while minimising the environmental impacts of its expanding economy.

Achieving these objectives while addressing the global environmental challenges such as climate change call for strong leadership from both policy-makers and businesses. Acting on clean technology represents for the business sector an occasion to take the leadership towards a more sustainable future, while seizing the opportunities emerging from international and national policies supporting actions on environmental protection and greenhouse gas mitigation.

The EU-India Cleantech aims to accelerate collaboration between the EU and India on cleantech development at the business level, and examine funding opportunities for cleantech development.

 "The EU-India Cleantech initiative is exactly the type of cooperation between European and Indian business that we are happy to see emerging."        

                                            
                    ~  Fabrizio Barbaso, Deputy Director General, DG Energy, European Commission 
                         (EU-India Cleantech workshop, 18th February 2010)