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FTA WATCH-INDIA

European Parliament Votes on Report on EU-India FTA
In what can be seen as a contribution of civil society mobilizations, on March 5, 2009, the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) voted on 140 tabled amendments to the draft report on the FTA between India and the European Union (EU). On February 25, European NGOs had presented a letter to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) belonging to INTA calling on them to halt negotiations and adopt a fundamental change of approach in trade relations between the EU and India (Letter to Members of INTA Committee). In India, the Forum on FTA presented a Statement of Concern denouncing the complete neglect of civil society concerns in the Report and reaffirming its concerns regarding the process and the scope (Statement).

Sajjad Karim, the INTA Rapporteur (member of the centre-right European People’s Party, EPP) had drafted the Report. What is intriguing is that many MEPs from his party were absent during the vote. A majority of those present were not in agreement with Karim’s recommendations. The final outcome was not to his satisfaction and he abstained from the final vote on the amended report - 9 for, 3 against and 6 abstentions (Report and Tabled Amendments, Vote Results). Several problematic provisions were amended, but provisions asking for democratic process and on the adverse effects of the free trade model were not accepted.

The EPP can now choose between bringing the amended document to the Plenary of the European Parliament, probably on 25 March, or present a new report, an ‘alternative resolution’. The latter option would mean taking a chance, as the vote in the plenary is an acceptation or rejection of the document in its entirety. The final document will then be the recommendations from the Parliament to the Commission in its negotiations with India.

Add human rights to FTA talks: EU
Business Standard | March 4, 2009

India’s trade talks with EU may collapse
Daily Times | March 6, 2009
India’s trade negotiations with the 27-nation European Union, the country’s largest trade partner (21 percent of merchandise exports), may break down because of the insistence of some MEPs to include human rights and democracy issues including investigations into the alleged “extra judicial killings” in Jammu and Kashmir as well as legally binding and enforceable social and environmental standards.