With the air quality of national capital deteriorating, the European Union's Ambassador to India Tomasz Kozlowski on Wednesday said that pollution is a global problem.
Kozlowski said that air pollution is a challenge for many Indian and European cities, news agency ANI reported.
Speaking on working with the government and finding a solution to this challenge, Kozlowski added that an EU-India project has been launched to bring experts and decision makers from India and EU to find ease the situation of rising level of pollution.
Meanwhile, Delhi's overall air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday, while pollution levels in some areas touched 'severe' levels due to low wind speed, authorities said. According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR), the overall air quality index in the city was recorded at 387, which falls in the 'very poor' category.
Thirteen areas in Delhi recorded 'severe' air quality and 23 recorded 'very poor' air quality, according to data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
On Wednesday, the level of PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 248, while the PM10 level was recorded at 402, it said.
Apart from the issue of pollution, the EU on Wednesday unveiled a 'strategy paper' outlining the broad roadmap for stepping up cooperation with India in a range of key sectors, including trade, investment, defence and security, innovation, and on dealing with various global challenges.
Releasing the paper, Kozlowski said the two sides are also going to have military cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.
He said India and the EU are significantly deepening their counter-cooperation to effectively deal with the challenge of terrorism in the region.
"India is on the top of the agenda of the EU in the field of external relations," Kozlowski told reporters.
On the stalled negotiations for the India-EU free trade agreement, he said both sides are actively engaged on the issue.
The strategy paper provides a broad overview of the EU's plan to expand ties with India in several key sectors for the next two decades.
(With PTI inputs)
