The shackles of the EU-India free trade agreement

The EU and India have been negotiating a new free trade agreement since June 2007. This process is part of the EU's so-called 'Global Europe' strategy, in which the EU is seeking a whole series of new bilateral free trade agreements with developing and emerging countries in the interests of European corporations. The new WEED/EED study by Indian social scientist Shefali Sharma examines the interests of the European Commission, the Indian government and the business lobbies of both sides in the EU-India negotiations. Shefali Sharma points out the dangers and possible development consequences of the agreement in the areas of agriculture, intellectual property rights, industry and public procurement and justifies the anti-free trade position of many civil society forces in India and Europe.

From the content:
- 'Global Europe' and the EU's economic policy interests
- The 'corporate agenda' for the EU-India free trade agreement
- India's growth: appearance and reality
- WTO Plus issues, as key points of the negotiations
- Status of the negotiations and conflicts
- Possible impact on India's socio-economic development

Author: Shefali Sharma; Editors: Christina Deckwirth (WEED), Michael Frein (EED)