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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

India-EU FTA negotiations at advanced stage: Scindia
3-Aug-2011     PTI
Negotiations on a comprehensive free trade pact between India and the European Union, which began in June 2007, have reached an "advanced and delicate stage", India's Parliament was informed.
India tells EU Nations to commit visa numbers for Indian professionals
2-Aug-2011     Economic Times
India has sought a commitment from each of the 27 member-nations of the European Union on the number of Indian professionals they would allow to migrate each year in order to help India move faster in concluding the bilateral free trade agreement with the EU, a senior government official has told ET.
India, EU free trade pact by year end
26-Jul-2011    
India and U.K. on Tuesday expressed commitment to conclude the broadbased India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of the year.
Volvo does not plan to assemble cars in India
25-Jul-2011     Financial Chronicle
Swedish carmaker Volvo says it does not plan to assemble cars in India as it was expecting an import duty cut on completely built units, assembled in Sweden, under the India-EU free trade agreement likely to be finalised shortly.
Free trade jitters in region
20-Jul-2011    
An indigenous group from the Northeast today added steam to the dissent against the European Union-India Free Trade Agreement demanding transparency in the talks which have been held under “secrecy” for the last four years.
Wine and spirits delay EU FTA with India
18-Jul-2011     Indian Wine Academy
After a barrage of print media giving high hopes for the EU to sign FTA with India thus reducing duties on imported wines and spirits from EU, it has resigned to the reality that the Free Trade Agreement between the two in the final stage is now being delayed because of the issue of lowering of duties on wines & spirits and cars, with India refusing to lower the tariffs due to a strong domestic lobby.
EU seeks huge duty cuts on auto, wines in its FTA with India
17-Jul-2011    
The European Union has sought substantial reduction or even elimination of duties in export of its automobiles, wines and spirits to India as a "must have" in the free trade agreement being negotiated between the two sides.
EU-India FTA - the data exclusivity dilemma
15-Jul-2011     Public Service Europe
Conflict between European and Indian pharma industries might be played out again in FTAs with other nations
Pressing for strong IPR regime in FTA with India: EU tells WTO
10-Jul-2011    
The European Union has informed the WTO that it is pressing for inclusion of strong IPR regime in the free trade agreement under negotiations with India even as the Commerce Ministry has maintained that New Delhi will not yield to the EU on this issue.
Millions will die if India stops AIDS drugs -- UN
6-Jul-2011     Reuters
Millions of people dependent on life-saving generic drugs to treat HIV/AIDS will die if India stops producing cheap drugs for the disease due to its trade deal with the European Union, the head of UNAIDS warned on Tuesday.