- 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
13-Oct-2010
JOTHI
The Indonesia PLHIV Network voices concerns over the EU-India FTA
13-Oct-2010
NAPN
NAPN and others in Nepal write to the Indian Prime Minister against the India-EU FTA
11-Oct-2010
PharmaBiz
Hundreds of public interest groups across the world have jointly urged prime minister Manmohan Singh not to sign the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with European Union as the Centre’s role in medicines supply is under threat due to the intellectual property provisions included in the pact.
8-Oct-2010
Economic Times
Indian officials reserved their right on Thursday to escalate a trade dispute with the European Union over seizures of generic drugs after Indian media reported the row had been solved.
6-Oct-2010
As DNP+ members were proceeding towards the final “die in”, the Delhi police lathi charged (hit them with sticks) the HIV+ people and finally picked up five of the protestors. Few of the HIV+ people including a person suffering from spinal TB were beaten up by the police.
6-Oct-2010
ToI
Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+) is staging a mass demonstration in front of Udyog Bhavan on Wednesday to protest against the inclusion of intellectual property (IP) provisions in the EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) which they fear will affect people’s access to affordable HIV/AIDS drugs.
5-Oct-2010
Civil society groups today urged the European Commission and Indian Government to halt free trade negotiations, scheduled to continue in Delhi tomorrow
5-Oct-2010
We are calling for an international week of joint action from 4 October 2010 to 9 October 2010 to call upon the Government of India to reject
the EU-India FTA, especially the provisions relating to intellectual
property rights and investment.
30-Sep-2010
Asia Pacific Network of people living with HIV/AIDS (APN+) and Delhi Network of positive people (DNP+)
People living with HIV call out EU hypocrisy on Millennium Development Goals as it forces its trade agreements on developing countries, seizes generic drugs and negotiates ACTA
24-Sep-2010
Negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union, the world’s largest economy, and India, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, took one more step towards completion today, with chief negotiators concluding 2-day talks in Brussels.
