MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
14.9.2008
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Eoin Ryan, Adam Bielan, Ryszard Czarnecki, Konrad Szymański, Hanna Foltyn-Kubicka and Cristiana Muscardini,
on behalf of the UEN Group
on Council and Commission statements - Preparation of the EU-India Summit
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0426/2008
B6‑0443/2008
European Parliament resolution on Council and Commission statements - Preparation of the EU-India Summit
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the India-EU Strategic Partnership Joint Action Plan of 7 September 2005 and in particular the section on developing the trade and investment conclusions of the 12th meeting of the India-EU round table held in Paris on 15 and 16 July 2008,
– having regard to the India-EU Strategic Partnership Joint Action Plan of 7 September 2005, and in particular the section on developing trade and investment,
– having regard to the conclusions of the 12th meeting of the India-EU round table held in CityplaceParis on 15 and 16 July 2008,
– having regard to the European Parliament resolution on the EU's economic and trade relations with country-regionplaceIndia (2006/2034(INI))
– having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 29 September 2005 on 'EU-India relations: A Strategic Partnership';
– having regard to the WTO decision on TRIPS and Public Health adopted on 29 November 2005,
– having regard to the EU-India Energy Summit held in CityplaceNew Delhi on 6 April 2006,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the EU and India constitute the biggest democracies in the world, and their constitutional commitment to pluralism and the rule of law promotes consistency in trade and economic relations, while providing legal certainty for investment and contributing to regional and global stability,
B. whereas India has more than a billion people and one third of the world's poor, with a considerable number of people who do not have access to elementary education, basic health care, safe drinking water, road transport or sustainable energy,
C. whereas Christian communities in country-regionplaceIndia are exposed to ongoing intolerance and violence,
D. whereas country-regionplaceIndia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with a growth rate of between 8% and 10%,
E. whereas the EU is country-regionIndia's largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI), with outflows amounting to €2.5 billion in 2006, and whereas country-regionplaceIndia's FDI inflow into the EU was EUR €0.5 billion in 2006; whereas EU-India trade has grown from €28.6 billion in 2003 to over €55 billion in 2007,
F. whereas country-regionplaceIndia has one of the highest incidences of child labour in the world,
G. whereas, according to the 2006 UN report on the global AIDS epidemic, 5.7 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS in India; whereas less than 1% of the adult population in India is currently estimated to be infected, but India still exceeds South Africa as the country with the largest number of people infected with HIV/AIDS, which underscores the impact the disease is having on the South Asian subcontinent; whereas the high-incidence states are lively economies, drawing in transient labour and trucking, both vectors of infection,
H. whereas approximately 80% of India's geographical area is vulnerable to cyclones, floods, landslides, drought and earthquakes as well as localised hazards, and the combination of poor socio-economic conditions and disasters has created a vicious cycle of poverty and vulnerability,
1. Welcomes the establishment in June 2008 of the India-European Parliament Parliamentary Friendship Group, which will act within the Indian Parliament as a counterpart to the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with India; hopes that this positive development will launch a meaningful and structured dialogue between the two parliaments on issues of global and common interest, through regular bilateral visits and round-table discussions;
2. Acknowledges the increasingly important transport links between India and the EU, and in this regard calls on the EU and on India's leaders to take further steps towards strengthening cooperation in civil aviation by signing: (i) the Horizontal Air Transport Agreement, which will restore legal certainty to the bilateral air services agreements that India has with 26 EU Member States; (ii) a Joint Action Plan for future cooperation in a wide range of areas in the field of civil aviation; and (iii) a significant EU-India technical cooperation project in aviation, with EU funding of €12.5 million, as a follow-up to past EU technical assistance to India in relation to aviation safety;
3. Supports finalisation of the negotiations between the EU and country-regionIndiacountry-region on a bilateral maritime transport agreement which would be of major importance for the development of trade relations between the EU and placeIndia and would enhance cooperation in quality shipping and maritime safety;
4. Recognizes that India provides a model for handling cultural and religious pluralism, despite intermittent and local difficulties among religions, including those between Hindus and Christians; expresses, however, deep concern at the current situation of Christian minorities, particularly in the state of Orissa, and at the impact that the anti-conversion laws that have spread among several Indian states may have on freedom of religion;
5. Calls on the Indian authorities to put an immediate end to all violence against Christian communities and to allow the latter to express their beliefs freely;
6. Calls on country-regionplaceIndia to assume a certain global responsibility as a large global player in tackling major issues such as climate change, security and stability;
7. Considers that competition rules and their effective enforcement are essential to ensure the full benefits of liberalisation and related regulatory reform and to contribute to economic development and good governance; also believes that an effective competition policy attracts foreign investors by creating a transparent and non-discriminatory legal framework for economic operators;
8. Notes that India negotiates in the area of anti-dumping as both a user and a subject of proceedings; welcomes the good EU-India working relationship in this area, and calls on both to work together to correct the abuse of anti-dumping instruments and to put an end to dumping;
9. Calls on the EU and India to lead the way in finding an expeditious and permanent solution on TRIPS and public health in order to facilitate access to essential medicines; welcomes the steps taken by the Indian government regarding IP rules for medicines; and encourages the Indian government to implement the law faster, especially as regards exports of generic medicines;
10. Welcomes India's plans to remove controls on the rupee, by removing all remaining capital controls on the partially convertible rupee; considers that this will eliminate an important obstacle to India's integration into the global economy, allowing Indian individuals and businesses to invest more freely overseas and giving large companies easier and cheaper access to foreign debt, which is currently limited to USD 500 million per company per year;
11. Is concerned that foreign investors still face frustrating bureaucracy at local level, where a big hurdle is the procedural system for approval under which applications that are eligible for automatic approval are kept to a minimum, while the bulk of large applications are approved on a case-by-case basis; is concerned that many officials continue to discriminate in favour of local interests; notes that this approval and licensing process has been criticised in some regions for being unfair and lacking transparency, with regulations changing so exasperatingly often that it can be difficult to keep up with the vagaries of the system; calls on state and municipal governments to simplify and consolidate the application procedures;
12. Notes that India's high import tariffs and non-tariff barriers remain a genuine concern for EU industry; believes that upholding such a protectionist policy after economic liberalisation gives rise to market distortions and manipulations;
13. Considers that special attention must be given by the EU to the SME sector in India, and that SMEs could be strengthened through measures to help finance market-driven local projects proposed by citizens;
14. Stresses that EU development cooperation should cooperate with India as an emerging international donor by exchanges of experience and cooperation in concrete projects in developing countries; underlines that learning from Indian experiences could help to make EU development aid more efficient and productive;
15. Notes that the impact of Indian growth on global demand for energy raises concerns over energy security, and that India still suffers severe energy shortages and is over-dependent on oil and coal;
16. Notes that both India and the EU have a long tradition of promoting the use of renewable energy and believes this is a practical energy option, alongside major investments in energy efficiency; welcomes India's efforts in this regard and calls for further cooperation on energy security and market reforms, renewable energy and energy efficiency; considers that India and the EU should continue to define the global energy architecture through innovative and sustainable energy development, whilst meeting the climate change benchmarks;
17. Notes that international trade can be a powerful motor of economic growth and poverty reduction but is not a magic bullet, while trade reforms are complementary to development policies; considers that in order to lift people out of pockets of poverty and continue to climb the ladder of economic development, India needs to focus critically on building a business environment that deepens integration with the world economy in a widening range of manufactures and services;
18. Notes that, despite dramatic growth, India's infrastructure still displays, in parts, the characteristics of a developing nation, with poor transport networks and regular power outages; calls on India and the EU to explore trade-related infrastructure development, through public-private partnership investment, ensuring transparency, a credible regulatory environment, and a level playing field between private investors and the government;
19. Acknowledges the important successes of the Indian government in the eradication of poverty, but notes that despite sustained economic growth, vast inequalities still persist, with about 30% of the Indian population still living below the poverty line; is particularly concerned at the situation of underprivileged sections of the population, especially women, children, the disadvantaged and the rural population, notably among Dalits and Adivasis (indigenous tribes and peoples); calls on the Commission and Council to work together with the Indian government to improve the situation of those groups and to examine future cooperation as to their contribution towards ending gender and caste discrimination;
20. Welcomes EU cooperation with India in the field of environmental policy and the fact that environmental policy is identified as one of the sectors of cooperation in the Joint Action Plan; notes that the EU and India, as major global players, have to play a central part in international efforts towards better global environmental governance; calls for the environmental aspects to continue to be emphasised in economic development cooperation;
21. Calls for talks between the EU and India concerning investment to take account of the social and political responsibility of foreign investors; stresses that investors' rights must go hand in hand with obligations, and that investors should at least apply the core labour standards laid down by the International Labour Organization (ILO);
22. Welcomes India's commitment to the prevention of child labour, as well as its participation in the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and the INDUS child labour project; is concerned at the high incidence of child labour in India; calls on India to cooperate with the ILO and ratify both Convention 138 on Minimum Age and Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour; also calls on India to take measures to effectively combat all forms of modern slavery, child labour and exploitation of female labour, with a view to ensuring respect for the fundamental rights of workers and averting social dumping, while also adopting the ILO principle of 'decent work'; recalls that trade arrangements must comply with the international conventions on human rights and labour standards;
23. Calls on the Commission to report to Parliament on a regular basis on progress in implementing the Joint Action Plan between the European Union and country-regionplaceIndia;
24. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments and Parliaments of the PlaceNameMemberPlaceType States, and the Government and Parliament of the PlaceTypeplaceRepublicPlaceName of India.