Question no 4 by Sajjad Karim (H-0877/06)

Subject: EU-India Free Trade Agreement

On 28 September 2006, the European Parliament's resolution on EU-India Trade and Economic Relations (P6_TA(2006)0388) received ‘overwhelming support’ from across the political spectrum of the House. The resolution makes clear that, whilst there will be no EU retreat from multilateralism, a Doha deal does not preclude a bilateral ‘WTO-Plus’ arrangement, which goes beyond what a lowest common denominator WTO deal could now provide. Does the Council agree that only through greater openness to strategic partnerships will the EU and India achieve our common ambitions in the areas that will dictate the terms of the 21st Century: protection of intellectual property rights, open markets for services and investment, and effective trade defence instruments? What is the Council's opinion of this resolution and, specifically, what is the Council's view of its recommendation for an EU-India Free Trade Agreement? What was the substance of discussions at the EU-India Summit in Helsinki on this issue?