- 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
28-Jan-2012
Financial Chronicle
General Motors, Hyundai and Suzuki are against the reduction in import duty on European cars proposed under the India-EU free trade agreement
23-Jan-2012
Hindu Business Line
The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement will not be inked during the summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on February 10.
22-Jan-2012
Economic Times
Much-delayed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is not likely to be completed in the near future, but "some announcement" will be made on February 10 here, when the two sides meet for their annual summit, sources said.
19-Jan-2012
Business Standard
The negotiations on India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) has reached “closing stages”. While consensus has been achieved in some tricky areas such as wine and pharmaceuticals, negotiators are now busy reaching an agreement in agricultural products and automobiles.
16-Jan-2012
All India Radio
The Free Trade Agreement between India and European Union will take more time to materialise. European Union foreign policy Chief, Baroness Catherine Ashton informed this after holding meeting with External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna in Bangalore today.
14-Jan-2012
Ahead of the India-EU Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi in February this year, a high-level delegation from the European Union will pay a four-day official visit to India starting on January 15.
1-Jan-2012
Even as the negotiations for the impending India- European Union (EU) free trade agreement (FTA) seem to have entered the last stage, heavy industries minister Praful Patel has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing concerns on the adverse impact of such a move on the domestic industry.
17-Dec-2011
The Sangai Express
Peasants coming from 14 villages of Imphal West district today staged a protest rally followed by a mass meeting demanding an immediate halt to the ongoing negotiation to seal the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
16-Dec-2011
IPS
As the Eighth Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation kicked off in Geneva this week, a group of NGOs exposed the devastating potential of a free trade agreement currently being negotiated between the European Union and India. If passed, they say the deal would make a mockery of all WTO rules and regulations.
15-Dec-2011
PharmaBiz
As the 14th round of negotiations on the EU-India free trade agreement is held in Delhi, an NGO working in the health sector has urged the European Union not to push India to accept IP provisions in the deal
