REPORT on the 13Th EU-INDIA INTERPARLIAMENTARY MEETING
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014 Delegation for relations with India REPORT ON THE 13th EU-INDIA INTERPARLIAMENTARY MEETING DELHI AND HYDERABAD 25-30 APRIL 2010 FdR 817753 PE 442.258 Summary Eight members of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with India, chaired by Graham Watson (ALDE, UK), travelled to New Delhi and Hyderabad between 25 and 30 April 2010. This followed a preparatory visit to New Delhi by Mr Watson on 14 and 15 March 2010. The programme included meetings with parliamentarians; members of the government; and representatives of civil society and think tanks. It also included visits to EU-funded projects, research institutes and businesses. The delegation sought to contribute to raising the profile in India of the European Union, and the European Parliament in particular. It was apparent that the Indian counterparts tended to think of the EU as a trade bloc and did not appreciate the enhanced political powers that it had accrued in recent years, particularly in the post- Lisbon era. There was also a tendency for New Delhi to place emphasis on its bilateral relationships with member states, rather than the EU as a whole. In the course of the visit MEPs aimed to heighten the Indian side's awareness of the wider competences of the European Parliament and to breathe new life into the EU- India interparliamentary relationship. They reiterated the invitation from President Buzek to Lok Sabha Speaker Kumar proposing that the heads of the two legislatures co-chair an interparliamentary meeting in advance of the EU-India summit in October 2010. The Indian side were particularly keen on cooperation with the European Union in the field of counter-terrorism and security. There was resentment that the EU appeared to give undue emphasis to its relationship with Pakistan and there was strong criticism of the role played by their western neighbour in South Asia. The Indians feared that Islamabad was accommodating the Taliban and that there were elements in the intelligence services which were close to Islamic extremists. The European Parliament side argued that Pakistan was a democratic country which played a key role in the region and all sides needed to cooperate with it to promote regional security. Extensive discussions took place on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement that is currently being negotiated and which the two sides hope to conclude by the end of 2010. There was a sharp divergence of views on whether issues such as child labour and sustainable development should be included in the agreement. The Indian side rejected the inclusion of such elements and argued for an agreement that was restricted to trade issues. The EP delegation stressed that the EU side was not seeking to impose new standards but rather to make reference to those that already existed and which needed to be implemented. The crucial role of the European Parliament in the ratification of the FTA was underlined and - in particular - the fact that it would not support an agreement that did not include environmental and social safeguards. It was apparent from a meeting with a coalition of NGOs that there was opposition to an FTA in India, as there was a belief that it would have harmful affects on the vulnerable FdR 817753 2 PE 442.258 sectors of society. Both sides agreed that "creative thinking" would be required to overcome this major obstacle to an accord. There was common ground on the great potential for EU-India cooperation in the development of technologies using renewable energy, such as solar thermal and solar photovoltaic power. The Indian side maintained that the developed world was responsible for global warming and that India and other developing countries had a right to raise the standard of living of their populations. The low per capita levels of energy consumption in India were also underlined. Nevertheless, there appeared to be growing recognition on the Indian side that it needed to be part of the solution to climate change and could not simply shift all the responsibility onto the developed world. During the visit to Andhra Pradesh the MEPs went to two EU-funded projects which provided an opportunity to witness at first hand how development funding is being used. In general the MEPs were impressed with what they saw and welcomed the opportunity to engage at first hand with the project beneficiaries. Of particular significance was the visit to a project to provide education to former child workers. The visit coincided with the coming into force of legislation to abolish the practice of child labour. Among other subjects raised was the case of the Sakharov Prize winner Taslima Nasrin, who has been living in exile in India because of threats to her life in her native Bangladesh. There have been reports that her visa to stay in India will not be extended after August 2010. The delegation will continue to monitor her case. The Speaker, Mrs Kumar, undertook to establish a Lok Sabha Friendship Group for relations with the EU in the near future. In addition to the invitation by President Buzek, there are also hopes that a delegation from the Lok Sabha can travel to Brussels or Strasbourg for an interparliamentary meeting before the end of 2010. Mr van Dalen made a number of specific suggestions for involving the European Parliament delegation in the future consideration by the Parliament of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement: these will be discussed in the course of the delegation's work. Background The visit to New Delhi and Hyderabad by eight members of the European Parliament delegation for relations with India aimed to develop and strengthen the relationship between the European Parliament and the Lok Sabha. There is a common perception in India that the EU is merely a trade bloc and there is a lack of general understanding of the workings of the Union and in particular the enhanced powers it has in the post- Lisbon era. The increased competences of the European Parliament were particularly relevant in discussions on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (see below) as the agreement of the Parliament will be necessary for the ratification of the agreement. The 2005 EU-India Joint Action Plan underlined the need for the relations between the two legislatures to be reinforced. A significant step was taken by the creation in 2007 of a separate EP Delegation for relations with India. However, no counterpart FdR 817753 3 PE 442.258 group has been re-established in the Lok Sabha since the Indian general elections in May/June 2009. The last full interparliamentary meeting took place in 2005, although there have been a number of working group visits since that date. On 10 October 2009 President Buzek had written to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha proposing that they co-chair an interparliamentary meeting in advance of the EU- India summit in Brussels in October 2010. To date there has been no reply to this letter. Following a visit to New Delhi by the Bureau of the EP Delegation in March 2010 it had been decided that the visit by MEPs should focus on areas where there were clear benefits for India and the EU to cooperate, notably climate change and the development of renewable energy; security and counter terrorism; and trade. The visit coincided with the ninth negotiating round on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, which it is hoped to conclude by the end of 2010. The visit took place from 25 to 30 April 2010 at the express wish of the Indian side as this week coincided with the sitting of the Lok Sabha. Authorisation was granted by the Conference of Presidents on 4 March 2010. Sunday 25 April 2010 Visit to Humayun's Tomb - a "statement of secularism" by Dr. Navina Jafa, Expert on Heritage Showcasing The delegation visit began with a tour of the tomb of the Mughal Emperor, Humayun. The tomb dates from 1562 and is a UNESCO classified World Heritage Site. Roundtable on "Afghanistan and Pakistan Policies: European and Indian interests" organised by the National Maritime Foundation The organisers of the roundtable were Commodore Uday Bhaskar, former Deputy Director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and the Foundation for Progressive European Studies (FEPS) The National Maritime Foundation is a high level think tank with the principal goal of promoting a common platform for debate on maritime security. However, it also examines other security issues, including the situation in the South Asia region. Many of the leading members are former senior naval officers. The following points were made in the discussion by the Indian side (N.B. these views were not necessarily held by all the speakers). There was great concern about the expansion of terrorism and religious radicalism, both in the South Asia region and globally. There was a real danger of terrorists gaining access to weapons of mass destruction. FdR 817753 4 PE 442.258 There were worries that the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would leave Afghanistan before it had completed its work. Indeed, majority Indian public opinion believed that Washington would "cut and run", as the Obama administration gradually succumbed to anti-war sentiment within the USA. President Obama had continued his predecessor's policy of "hyphenation": i.e. lumping together India and Pakistan as part of the solution to Afghanistan. This was not welcomed by India, which resented any parity of treatment. Islamabad needed to be pushed harder to promote a real settlement of the problem. There was a danger for Washington in alienating President Karzai, without having any real alternative. It was unwise to place too much emphasis on the corruption in the Karzai administration, as constant criticism was leading the Afghan leader to build up links with Iran.