EU ends 'boycott' of Modi, envoys had lunch with him last month

"If we have to address those concerns, we have to engage with him. That was made abundantly clear to him during the luncheon conversation. And last year, we have seen some movement in the judicial process which is somewhat encouraging," said a source, referring to the August 2012 court verdict that sent MLA Maya Kodnani to prison for 28 years for the Naroda massacres of 2002.

The Sunday Express had reported in its December 16, 2012 edition that following the Gujarat election results, ambassadors of EU countries would meet in January to weigh the pros and cons of continuing their policy of no senior-level contact with the Modi government.

In March 2002, EU ambassadors had resolved to break diplomatic contact with the Modi government at the levels of ambassador, deputy chief of mission and consul-general. A review in 2008 had decided to extend the freeze.

Cracks in the consensus appeared in 2011, when the Danish ambassador to India met Modi at least a couple of times. In July 2012, Ambassador Cravinho recommended to Brussels that the EU should continue to abide by the 2002 resolution. However, in October 2012, the government of British Prime Minister David Cameron established diplomatic contact with Modi at the highest level.

The breaking of the "consensus" by Britain — which chose to inform EU partners of its decision just before going public with it — had annoyed the EU diplomatic community, with most ambassadors privately questioning the timing of the British decision, barely two months before assembly elections in Gujarat.

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