By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : The European Parliament’s Trade Committee expressed here Thursday its disappointment with the slow pace of negotiations between the EU and India on a Free Trade Agrement (FTA).
The Committee said in a report thqt it would like to see the FTA signed by end of 2010. The EU and India launched negotiations for an FTA in 2007.
The report drafted by British MEP Sajjad Karim calls for a conclusion of an FTA between the EU and India which would improve market access for goods and services, covering substantially all trade except for public procurement which India is not willing to include in the FTA.
Bilateral trade is expected to exceed 70.7 billion euro by 2010 and 160.6 billion euro by 2015.
The report points to the potential for an increase in EU-India trade and investment and business opportunities arising from the FTA but recommends that an evaluation be carried out of the existing sector-specificities.
India’s average applied tariff which is now 14.5% compared to an EU average of 4.1%. Priority to be given to tariff reductions on ‘Fairtrade’ and sustainable products, says the report.
The agreement should also ensure that increasing bilateral trade brings benefits to the widest number of people, including Dalits and Adivasis, and contributes to India ’s achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, including preventing environmental degradation.
The report welcomes the outcome of the 9th EU-India Summit and the revised Joint Action Plan; notably the signing of the horizontal civil aviation agreement, and the approval of a joint working programme on energy, clean development and climate change.
MEPs call on the European Commission to provide technical assistance to support Indian producers in their efforts to reach EU standards, in particular concerning the health, environmental and social dimensions of production.
The FTA should confirm the provisions of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
India is concerned about the lack of harmonisation of micro-biological standards in the EU, implications of REACH, costly certificates for exporting fruit to the EU and costly conformity procedures for the EC mark, says the report.
The report callS on the EU and India to ensure that commitments under the FTA do not preclude access to essential medicines whilst India is developing its capacity from a generic to a research based industry.
MEPs welcome India ‘s commitment to a strong IPR regime and to the use of TRIPS flexibilities to meet its public health obligations, particularly in relation to access to medicines; stresses that these negotiations must be compatible with protecting biodiversity and traditional knowledge. The fight against counterfeit medicines is also underlined.
The full ambition of the FTA cannot be achieved without commitments in Mode 4, according to the Trade Committee. MEPs stress that there are benefits from nationwide and EU-wide accreditation of professional qualifications and agreements on mutual recognition and licensing requirements within professional services in both the EU and India .
The Committee also requests from India a more open approach in granting visas to citizens and business professionals and politicians from the European Union with multiple entries and minimum one year duration.
MEPs ask the European Commission to address the issue of child labour during the negotiations on the FTA. India is also asked to ratify and implement the basic conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).