‘EU-India FTA needs impact assessment by civil society’
Hindu Business Line | 16 Mar 2014
‘EU-India FTA needs impact assessment by civil society’
NEW DELHI
The free trade agreement with India is in need of a thorough and objective impact assessment by civil society, Henri Malosse, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has said.
“We will work on this with the support of the EU delegation,” he added during a recent visit to India.
Trading partners
He said Europe had many trading partners, but relations should be strengthened with countries such as India, which are built on the common values of democracy, freedom and human rights.
Malosse, who was leading a delegation to India recently, also declared his commitment for the EESC – the European institution representing civil society in the EU – to continue the dialogue with Indian civil society to strengthen bilateral relations.
‘Best practice’
The EU delegation noted as a “best practice” the fight of the Indian Government against corruption, praising the efforts undertaken and the visible results.
He quoted Dalai Lama about “the importance of the fight against corruption, a form of violence and a cancer for humanity”.
Malosse was here to participate in the commemoration of the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising in Dharamsala and to meet Dalai Lama. The EESC team included Madi Sharma (Employers’ Group), Tomasz Jasiñski (Workers’ Group) and Anne-Marie Sigmund (Various Interests’ Group), as well as Vincent Metten, representative of the NGO International Campaign for Tibet in Brussels.
