The Hindu : National : Don’t rush into FTA with European Union: CPI(M)

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Don’t rush into FTA with European Union: CPI(M)

Special Correspondent

Don’t make commitments without debate in Parliament

Future of Doha Round bleak; level-playing field not likely
FTAs can be more damaging, than WTO accords, to Indian farmers

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the ninth India-European Union Summit in Marseille, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday asked the United Progressive Alliance Government not to make any commitment on the Free Trade Agreement without a debate in Parliament.

As Prime Minster Manmohan Singh leads the Indian delegation for the summit on Monday, the Polit Bureau, in a statement, said it was a matter of concern that while the European Parliament had already discussed the issues related to the proposed FTA, the Indiangovernment was yet to share details of the negotiations with Parliament and people.

India was not required to make any commitment in areas such as competition policy, Intellectual Property Rights and public procurement in the World Trade Organisation Doha Round, which seemed to be part of the India-EU FTA.

It was also clear that the huge agricultural subsidies provided by the EU, which has been one of the major roadblocks in the WTO Doha Round, were not being discussed in the India-EU FTA.

The CPI(M) cautioned that with the future of the Doha Round looking bleak, the trade liberalisation agenda was sought to be pushed through FTAs with advanced economies, which could hardly offer a level-playing field for a developing country like India.

“In fact, such FTAs can turn out to be much more damaging for the livelihoods of Indian farmers, workers and other sections of the working people than the WTO agreements.”

The draft proposals, existing negotiating positions and studies conducted by the Indian government on the India-EU FTA should be placed and debated in Parliament before it initiated any further step, the statement said.

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