Representatives of the Trade Justice Forum, a national network of over 100 organizations, expressed concern that the FTA could severely impact India’s development and undermine livelihoods in multiple areas.
Bhartitya Kisan Union (Tikait), Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh, International Treatment Preparedness Coalition and Forum for Trade Justice, among others, have suggested that the EU should impose norms on India to protect seed companies’ rights over farmers’ rights and expand monopolies in new medicines. I said I would like to accept it. “The EU-India FTA is not in line with the kind of people-centred development India urgently needs,” he said.
“The EU is forcing India to join UPOV 1991, an international treaty that protects the rights of seed companies over the rights of farmers.
The UPOV or United Nations for the Protection of New Plant Varieties seeks to protect new plant varieties through intellectual property rights and does not recognize farmers’ rights.
“The EU’s TRIPS Plus requirements will also expand MNC controls over pesticides. The result will be increased pesticide and seed prices, further increasing the already enormous production costs for Indian farmers,” said the Forum. said.
Civil society said the EU also wants free cross-border data flows and full disclosure of government data. This challenges India’s sovereign rights over Indian data and the policy space for using such data for the benefit of Indian communities, workers and small businesses. , and startup. “Making such concessions to the EU would also affect India’s security. It will bring about change.”
India has so far refrained from international commitments on digital trade to protect the policy space for designing future national digital sector policies, including digital industrialization.
They argued that the text proposed by the EU would allow European investors broad rights, allowing investors to “take the best from the provisions of the entire bilateral investment treaty signed by India and make the most of their cases.” It has a most-favoured-nation clause that allows it to “apply favorable provisions.”
