Marseilles (France), Sept. 29 : Speaking on the sidelines of the Ninth India-EU Summit here, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said on Monday that he was quite optimistic about India and France reaching an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation in Paris on Tuesday after talks with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

Marseilles (France), Sept. 29 : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has begun an interaction with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and European Union Commisioner Javier Solana, on the need for strengthening of ties between India and the European Union.

Sources said that co-operation on peace and security issues is high on the agenda of the Ninth India-EU Summit.

Climate change and the global economic crisis will also figure in the discussions.

Before the summit commenced, India and the EU inked a civil aviation pact that will pave the way for greater air connectivity and facilitate better travel facilities for passengers.

Marseille, France - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met top European Union officials in the French port of Marseille on Monday at a summit hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The summit is set to call for EU-Indian cooperation on civilian nuclear research and development, a day before Sarkozy and Singh are due to discuss in Paris a deal on nuclear cooperation between their respective states, EU diplomats told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.