India, EU sign nuclear energy pact

India and the European Union sign a nuclear energy pact and have agreed on a free trade treaty which has been underway since 2007.

"An important outcome was the signing of India-EU agreement in the field of fusion energy research," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a press conference in New Delhi after the agreement was signed.

The pact was signed on Friday by India's Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, Anil Kakodkar, and the EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who represented the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).

Manmohan Singh also met Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who chairs the EU rotating presidency, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Singh said that this agreement "underscores" the growing importance of energy security and clean energy in the long sought cooperation. They also reviewed progress on a joint action plan that was adopted in 2005 and agreed on measures to speed up its implementation.

India and the EU also signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which has been underway since 2007.

The European Union is among India's biggest trading partners and the proposed pact is expected to help bilateral trade exceed $237 billion by 2015.