Despite a long historical experience of cultural, economic, political and social interaction with Europe, South Asia has never been a region of frontline policy for the European Union, which has gradually emerged as the largest trading partner of most South Asian economies, a major contributor of developmental aid, and home to a large diaspora, mostly in the United Kingdom.

Containing nine chapters by emerging and leading scholars in the field, this volume critically examines the motivations, objectives and impact of the European Union’s development cooperation, economic and foreign policy towards South Asia. It raises and seeks to answers questions like – What role can the EU play in easing tensions between India and Pakistan in times of crisis? Is there an official EU policy regarding Kashmir or the challenge of terrorism? What is the nature and prospects of the India-EU strategic partnership?

The book explores the European Union’s concerns and policies towards fostering democracy in the region. It assesses the crisis management capabilities of the EU in Afghanistan, its role in conflict resolution in Sri Lanka, and the patterns, characteristics and challenges confronted by the South Asian diaspora in the United Kingdom.The study will be of interest to all those engaged in the fields of political science, international relations, European politics and foreign policy and Indian and South Asian foreign policy.

Rajendra K Jain: Rajendra K Jain is Director, Europe Area Studies Programme and Professor of European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is the first and only Jean Monnet Chair in India and Adjunct Professor (Research), European and EU Studies Centre, Monash University, Melbourne. He was formerly Visiting Humboldt Foundation Professor at Constance, Freiburg, Leipzig and Tübingen universities in Germany as well as Visiting Professor, the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris, and the Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya.

Prof. Jain has participated in nearly 150 national/international conferences, including 100 conferences in various parts of the world. He is the author of 125 articles/chapters in books as well as the author/editor of 30 books, the most recent being India, Europe and Conflict Resolution in South Asia (KW Publishers, 2015) and India and the European Union in a Changing World (Aakar Books, 2014).