Why in News:
Indian PM is the Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day parade in Paris. The visit coincides with 25 years of strategic partnerships with France.

·  Historical ties:  
India and France are long-standing strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1947, and the upgrading of the partnership to the strategic level in 1998, our two countries have consistently acted together, building on a high level of mutual trust, shared commitment to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and common values rooted in international law.

·   25th anniversary of the Indo-French partnership  
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French partnership, both countries agree to adopt a roadmap to set the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, which will celebrate the centenary of India’s independence, the centenary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and 50 years of the strategic partnership.
The joint statement – “25th Anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between France and India: towards a Century of Indo-French Relations” – sets the course for the France-India bilateral relationship in all areas till 2047, the year that will mark 100 years of India’s Independence, 100 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and 50 years of the Indo-French strategic partnership.
 
·    The roadmap for bilateral relations 
The roadmap for bilateral relations has three pillars: partnership for security and sovereignty; partnership for the planet; partnership for the people.

·   Partnership for security, sovereignty
Defence: Continuation of the cooperation on fighter jets and submarines, following the timely delivery of the 36 Rafale jets for the IAF and the success of the P75 programme (six Scorpene submarines).
Space: Scientific and commercial partnership is being enhanced through several agreements between France’s CNES and India’s ISRO, notably concerning reusable launchers; finalization of the joint Earth observation satellite, TRISHNA; the first phase of the constellation of maritime surveillance satellites in the Indian Ocean; and the protection of Indo-French satellites in orbit against the risk of collision.
Civil nuclear energy: Both sides welcomed progress on the 6-EPR power plant project in Jaitapur. They decided to launch a cooperation programme on small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors.
Indo-Pacific: Adoption of a roadmap for joint actions in the Indo-Pacific, covering all aspects of our comprehensive strategy for the region. Work on finalising an Indo-French development fund for third countries, which will enable joint financing of sustainable development projects in the Indo-Pacific region.
Counter-terrorism: Strengthening of cooperation between France’s GIGN and India’s National Security Guard.
Critical technology: Strengthening of cooperation on cutting-edge digital technology, particularly on supercomputing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Announcement of an agreement between Atos and the Ministry of Earth Sciences of India for the supply of supercomputers worth over Rs 920 crore.
Civil aviation: Signing of technical and safety agreements in the field of civil aviation, towards supporting the expansion of routes between France and India, and the growth of the Indian civil aviation market.
 
·  Partnership for the planet, global issues
Plastic pollution: Commitment of France and India for the adoption of an international treaty to put an end to plastic pollution throughout the entire life cycle of plastic products.
Health: Signing of a Letter of Intent on health and medicine, to structure cooperation in hospitals, medical research, digital technology, biotechnology, public health and combating micro-bacterial resistance as part of the One Health approach.
Blue economy: Launch of a partnership between l’lnstitut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (IFREMER – French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) and India’s National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) on ocean research, under the roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance adopted by France and India in 2022.
Financing the energy transition: Announcement of Rs 923 crore in financing from the French Development Agency for the second phase of India’s flagship sustainable cities programme “CITIIS 2.0”, in partnership with the European Union and KFW of Germany. Announcement of Rs 246 crore in financing from Proparco for the South Asia Growth Fund (SAGF III), which will invest in companies promoting energy efficiency, clean energy, and optimization of natural resources in the region. Announcement of a Rs 164-crore financing from Proparco with Satya Microcapital for giving women in rural India access to microfinance.
Decarbonised hydrogen: Announcement of a partnership between McPhy and L&T on manufacturing electrolyzers in India, under the Indo-French roadmap for decarbonised hydrogen adopted in 2022.

·  Partnership for people
Student mobility: New target of welcoming 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030. Issuance of a 5-year short-stay Schengen visa for Indian students with a Master’s degree who have studied at a university in France. Announcement by France of a significant increase in the resources of the Campus France network in India. Creation of international classes to facilitate the integration of non-French-speaking Indian students into the French higher education system. Signing of two MoUs between the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP), and IIT Delhi and IIT Madras.
Diplomatic and consular network: Announcement of the opening of a Consulate General of India in Marseille and a Bureau de France in Hyderabad.
Culture: Announcement of France’s selection as India’s partner for the establishment of a major new National Museum in New Delhi. Announcement of an agreement between France Médias Monde and Prasar Bharati for the exchange of audio-visual content and the co-production of programmes on areas such as culture, education, science, and sports.
Research: France and India will increase funding of the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA) in order to fund new projects together.
Sports: Signing of a Letter of Intent to structure cooperation in this field, particularly in view of major upcoming sporting events.
Civil society: Objective of doubling the number of solidarity and civic service international volunteers in India and France by 2025.

·   A special partnership
The two countries commenced their strategic partnership, India’s first, immediately after India’s nuclear tests, at a time when most Western capitals had turned their backs on New Delhi.
France was the first country to recognise the strategic importance of India after the nuclear tests in 1998. The partnership with France is India’s most important strategic partnership in Europe. It is one of the rare such partnerships that India has that is marked by total convergence.
According to the French foreign ministry, the partnership “focuses on…civil nuclear energy, defence, counter-terrorism, space cooperation, cyber security and digital technologies”.
The signing of an agreement for the supply of 36 Rafale aircraft in September 2016, and an industrial agreement in March 2018 to build six European pressurized water reactors (EPR) at the Jaitapur site are directly linked to this partnership.
 
Defence, climate, tech 
The defence relationship, a critical element in ties, is marked by trust and reliability. While defence deals with the US are dogged by unpredictability due to Congressional interventions and export control regimes, the French deals come with no strings attached. France understands that India would not like to put all its defence eggs in one basket.
As talk of the US-India deal on technology transfer for the GE F414 jet engine for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft became louder earlier this year, the French offered their own Safran engine that would be fully made in India. While the US offer, which signalled a major breakthrough in India-US defence ties, does not include the transfer of a critical part of the technology, the French are said to have promised 100 per cent technology transfer.
The two sides also cooperate closely on climate change initiatives. Last October, they signed a Road Map on Green Hydrogen, which aims “to bring the French and Indian hydrogen ecosystems together” to establish a reliable and sustainable value chain for a global supply of decarbonised hydrogen.
Earlier in February 2022, they signed a Road Map on the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance.
Another roadmap on digital technology co-operation may be on the cards for 6G, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. An MoU signed last month between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and Lyra, a France-based payment services provider, may be implemented soon to enable UPI and RuPay payments in Europe.

France, India, the world  
Both India and France value their strategic autonomy, pursue independence in their foreign policies, and seek a multipolar world, even as both acknowledge the place and importance of the US in the world order.
In April, on his way back to France after a three-day state visit to Beijing where he had long meetings with President Xi Jinping, President Emmanuel Macron told accompanying media that Europe must not get entangled in America’s confrontation with China and preserve its “strategic autonomy”.
He warned that Europe’s security dependence on the US and the “extraterritoriality of the dollar” could turn European states into “vassals” if the US-China confrontation escalated. He also pushed the idea of Europe as a “third superpower” with France in the lead.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the geopolitical changes it triggered have brought a new European awareness of the strategic importance of India and vice versa. As India’s foremost partner in Europe, France, with its more nuanced view of the war than most other countries in the continent, has a better appreciation than other European states of New Delhi’s position on the war, including that the world has to make serious diplomatic efforts to restore peace.
India and France intend to work together in the interest of international peace and stability and reaffirm their commitment to a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. They agree to work within the framework of a partnership between equals, in consonance with their respective sovereign and strategic interests, as they have done since 1998.
In order to further deepen this Strategic Partnership, and in keeping with universal values of liberty, equality, democracy and the rule of law, India and France have decided to strengthen cooperation in the sectors of the future, so as to reinforce their sovereignty and decision-making autonomy, and to respond together to the major challenges confronting our planet, including through the cooperation between India and the European Union.

PM Modi in France: What is Bastille Day, whose celebrations he will attend?  
Bastille Day, also known as La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) or le 14 juillet (the 14th of July), is the French National Day. It is celebrated annually on July 14th and commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution.
The Bastille was a symbol of royal authority and tyranny, and its capture by the revolutionaries marked a turning point in the French Revolution. The event was significant as it represented the people's resistance against the absolute monarchy and led to the beginning of radical political changes in France.
Bastille Day has been an official public holiday in France since 1880. It is celebrated with various events and festivities across the country, including military parades, fireworks, parties, and communal meals. The most famous and elaborate celebration takes place in Paris, where a large military parade is held along the Champs-Élysées, showcasing French military might and tradition. The celebrations also include the traditional flyover by the French Air Force, adding to the patriotic fervor.
Beyond France, Bastille Day is also celebrated by French communities and embassies worldwide, where people come together to celebrate their French heritage and culture. It is a day of national pride, unity, and remembrance of the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity that the French Revolution espoused.

Mains practice question
 Q. France is India's oldest strategic partner, and the relationship has almost no friction points. Do you agree with the statement?