Showing a positive sign, India and European Union (EU) will again start talks on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which was halted for 30 months. Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that 'We are resuming the talks with the EU. The chief negotiators will meet soon’.
While stating the reason for the FTA talks with EU, Sitharaman has said that the concern over the EU banning sale of around 700 pharma products, clinically tested by GVK Biosciences, India had in August deferred FTA talks with EU when the Chief negotiators of both the sides were scheduled to meet. She said that India deferred the talks because EU's action was 'unilateral' and was 'not right'. Highlighting about the drug ban issue, Sitharaman said 'We have resolved it in the sense that when German Chancellor Angela Merkel came and the Prime Minister met her in Bengaluru, he had raised the issue of 700 drugs being banned. And she has assured the Prime Minister that she will look into it and the matter will be given fair justice'.
The negotiations for the proposed Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement, launched in June 2007, have witnessed many hurdles with both sides having major differences on crucial issues which include movement of professionals and data security status. Besides demanding significant duty cuts in automobiles, EU wants tax reduction in wines and spirits and dairy products and a strong intellectual property regime.
Besides, Sitharaman asserted that negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was going full fledged. Moreover she added 'The negotiations are happening in details. So, we are moving forward in FTAs as well as plurilaterals'. The free trade pact aimed at reducing or significantly eliminating tariffs on goods, facilitate trade in services boost investments between the two sides. The two-way commerce in goods between India and the EU stood at $98.5 billion in 2014-15.
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