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  1. Negotiations

EU-India


The European Union and India launched negotiations on a bilateral free trade and investment agreement in June 2007. However, between the governments, a number of controversies have been plaguing the talks. Delhi wants Brussels to relax its stringent food safety criteria which penalise Indian farm and fishery exports and to make it easier for Indian professionals to work in the EU. Europe is primarily out to win major openings of India’s services sector and broad liberalisation of foreign investment, while India does not want to discuss allowing European firms to compete in India’s government procurement market.

Indian social movements, including fisherfolk and labour unions, people living with HIV/AIDS and other health activists have been mobilizing against the FTA. International actions and campaigns have particularly targeted the proposed intellectual property provisions of the agreement, and the impact of the FTA on access to medicines.

last update: May 2012
Photo: MSF

2016 targets to be missed if India-EU FTA covers auto sector
10-May-2012    
Automobile industry body SIAM today cautioned that the sector will miss targets of the Automotive Mission Plan 2006-16 if it is included in the proposed free-trade agreement with the European Union for allowing imports of vehicles at lower duties.
EU won't get further access to government business
1-Apr-2012    
India will not concede to EU's demand that European companies be allowed to participate in procurements made by public sector enterprises in the country as part of a free trade agreement being negotiated.
European Union whines despite India agreeing to halve import duty on its wines
21-Mar-2012    
India-EU FTA: Where Is Europe’s trade agenda headed?
25-Feb-2012     Economonitor
The internal documents of the European Commission reveal the disgraceful attempts to push for higher levels of commitments in trade in industrial goods and agricultural products, services and investment liberalisation, geographical indications and government procurement under the proposed India-EU free trade agreement.
Trade unions discuss EU India FTA
22-Feb-2012     IMFMetal
International Metalworkers Federation South Asia Office organized a workshop on EU India Free Trade Agreement on February 14 and 15 in New Delhi. Representatives of Indian national trade union centres and Indian affiliates of IMF, BWI, ITGLWF, UNI, ICEM exchanged views on trade policies and implications for development and employment with IMF affiliates from France, Italy, Canada, Argentina and Japan.
EU-India FTA: Shrouded in secrecy, it’s certainly not in our interest
20-Feb-2012     First Post
An analysis of the FTA, the circumstances, additional documents and the entire process smack of an agreement that is terribly not in favour of India, writes KM Gopakumar
Keep paper in negative list while signing FTAs: Assocham
17-Feb-2012    
To provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry, trade body Assocham today urged the government to keep paper and its products in the negative list while signing bi-lateral and multi-lateral trade treaties.
Chill this pill
17-Feb-2012    
Last week, the 12th India-EU Summit was held amid growing expectations that the two partners would announce the date for the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is being negotiated since 2007. This agreement was projected as “one of the new generation of EU FTAs launched as part of the Global Europe strategy”, the focus of which was market opening and stronger rules in new trade areas of economic importance to the EU, including intellectual property rights (IPR), services, investment, public procurement and competition.
Farmers, people living with HIV and small traders protest against the EU
17-Feb-2012     La Via Campesina
Indian farmers joined people with HIV and small traders to protest against the EU-India Free Trade agreement, which will impact all three sectors by ending livelihoods and cutting access to cheap medicines.
Global civil society rises up over FTAs
17-Feb-2012     FTA Malaysia
Civil society groups around the world have upped the ante in the global struggle to protect and promote access to medicine and focused their attention on the European Union-India free trade agreement (FTA) currently being negotiated between the two governments.