- Negotiations
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
22-Oct-2021
Phnom Penh Post
The Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) has been signed, trading appreciably more agricultural wares will not be possible without first tackling some of the remaining non-tariff barriers, especially those concerning sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules.
21-Oct-2021
Money Control
The European Union (EU) has finally given its assent to conclude a proposed investment facilitation deal with India, separate from the free trade agreement (FTA) also being negotiated between the partners.
10-Sep-2021
The Times of India
Progress has been made on the resumption of the India-EU free trade agreement negotiations and the formal talks would start this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
27-Jul-2021
The Hindu Businessline
India and the EU are likely to begin negotiations on the revamped proposal for a bilateral FTA in September but there continues to be disagreement on whether to carve out separate agreements on investment protection and geographical indications (GIs).
19-Jul-2021
The Telegraph India
The parties have agreed to launch negotiations on key issues such as market access, investment protection and geographical indications.
12-Jul-2021
Money Control
The enthusiasm of both sides to negotiate lower import duties, market access and custom rules may get a rude reminder on the issue of investment protection, which remains unsolved.
17-Jun-2021
Financial Express
Experts, too, suggest that both the sides need to work on less controversial issues first; the more difficult ones can be taken up later, as any deal there will take time to materialise.
14-May-2021
Live Mint
"Pre-FTA discussions will start any time now. In the coming weeks, we will set the timeline and we will have discussions," says official.
10-May-2021
Mint
The decision by India and the EU to recast the stalled trade and investment agreement into three separate deals could favour the latter.
10-May-2021
Nikkei Asia
The European Union and India agreed to resume stalled free-trade negotiations and seek closer cooperation to combat climate change at a virtual summit on Saturday.
