‘No decision on India-EU trade talks’

New Delhi: European Union (EU) leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not take any decision to resume negotiations between the EU and India for a free trade agreement during the Indo-EU Summit last Friday, German ambassador Martin Ney said on Monday. He was speaking on the occasion of an Indo-German media dialogue in the capital at the German embassy.

“On the EU-India summit, there is no decision to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement, including investment protection, despite the possibility being at hand. There was no such decision taken at the last EU-India summit in March, 2016. And neither did the EU leaders and PM Modi take such a decision during the summit two days ago,” Mr Ney was quoted by embassy officials as saying on Monday morning.

A joint statement issued last week by the two sides after India and the EU had held their 14th annual summit in the capital took note of the “ongoing efforts of both sides to re-engage actively towards timely relaunching negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial India-EU Broad Based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)”. This had indicated that there was no major headway towards the much-delayed BTIA or free trade pact between the two sides.

Launched in June 2007, negotiations for the proposed BTIA have reportedly witnessed many hurdles due to major differences on crucial issues like intellectual property rights and duty cut in automobile and spirits. PM Modi had headed the Indian side during the summit while the EU delegation was headed by President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker.