The committee adopted the own-initiative
report drawn up by Emilio MENÉNDEZ DE VALLE (PES, ES) in response to the Commission's paper
on an EU-India strategic partnership. MEPs backed the partnership agreement
and called for extra funding for its implementation. They noted that the USA had aspirations for a strategic alliance
with India and that China and India were also expanding their
relations. The report made a number of specific recommendations to strengthen
ties with India,
but also raised a number of issues of concern.
MEPs called on the EU and India
to jointly tackle aspects of industrial, environmental and development
cooperation, trade, investment and good governance. They voiced alarm at
UNICEF reports that 17.5 million children were working in India, "mostly in subhuman
conditions". More generally, they urged India to update its labour laws
to prevent the exploitation of workers. The EU should work together with the
Indian government to improve the situation of underprivileged people, in
particular women, children and disadvantaged groups, e.g. Dalits and
Adivasis.
Another cause for concern was the
increasing environmental destruction, and MEPs urged India to show greater sensitivity
to the question of global warming, while pursuing its development needs. The
"alarming drop in the number of tigers" merited special mention.
The report noted that 20 years after the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, the site had
still not been cleaned up and called on the Indian authorities and Dow
Chemicals to clean up the toxic waste immediately. MEPs also urged India
to allow derogations to the ban on the manufacture of generic drugs for
medicines such as those against AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, hepatitis and
cancer.
The committee recommended systematic EU-India
consultation in advance of international meetings or conferences and the establishment
of permanent links to secure "balanced and mutually beneficial progress
on the main points of the Doha Develoment Agenda". Lastly, they urged the Indian government to
take firm action against the dumping of trade goods on the EU.