- 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
16-Oct-2006
The Hindu
India needs to strive toward becoming the second or third largest partner for European Union and increase its contribution in EU trade from the present 1.5 per cent to five per cent by 2011, industry body CII said Sunday.
15-Oct-2006
Times of India
A deal which could deliver the mother of all FTAs between EU and India was sealed a few minutes before PM Manmohan Singh’s summit with European leaders began.
14-Oct-2006
Times of India
Adopting a ’take-it-or-leave-it’ posture, India on Thursday turned down last-minute EU efforts to dilute a trade and investment agreement by introducing onerous non-tariff conditionalities.
13-Oct-2006
DG Trade
The EU Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson, has today told Indian and EU Business leaders that EU and India should boost their bilateral trade and economic relationship with a new trade and investment agreement.
7-Oct-2006
National treatment, mutual recognition of professional qualification and competition policy would initially be in focus, as India and Europe are set to commence talks for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (Ceca), government sources told FE.
28-Sep-2006
The European Union and India, one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, will signal next month their intention to negotiate a free trade agreement, the EU’s Executive Commission said on Wednesday.
18-Sep-2006
Economic Times
The high-level trade group between India and the European Commission, which is examining the feasibility of a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement, will meet in Brussels on Monday to give final touches to its report.
5-Sep-2006
XFN-ASIA
The leader of the UK’s main opposition Conservative Party, David Cameron, has proposed the idea of an EU-Indian free trade pact if the Doha round of global trade talks fails.
31-Aug-2006
AFP
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during a European summit in Finland in October, will call for the start of negotiations on an Indian-EU free trade agreement.
20-Jul-2006
Economic Times
A CECA with EU may look like an alphabet soup, but would spell a whole new range of opportunities for Indian enterprises and professionals. High on its success with the comprehensive economic co-operation agreement (CECA) with Singapore, the government is now planning a similar deal with the 25-member European Union.
