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Trade pact, climate change to top India-EU summit agenda
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 05 - 11 - 2009


India and the European Union on Friday are to
hold their 10th summit, which could see both sides provide a fresh
impetus to a proposed trade pact and narrow differences over climate
change, according to dpa.
The summit, which marks a decade of growing relations between
India and the EU, aims to expand cooperation on such issues as the
global economic crisis, energy security and terrorism.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to hold talks with his
Swedish counterpart, Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country now holds the
rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU.
Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, is to
also participate in the talks along with other top European diplomats.
The summit should impart "political momentum and inspiration" to
the long negotiations on a trade pact, EU ambassador to India Daniele
Smadja said.
The EU and India began negotiations in 2007 on a broad trade and
investment pact, including a free trade agreement (FTA), but
differences persist over intellectual property rights and the EU"s
insistence on linking trade with climate issues and child labour in
India.
"The FTA negotiations are very complex," Smadja said. "We have to
jump into the cold water of give and take. We have to get into the
exchange of concessions. We still have very difficult negotiations
before us."
"We hope an agreement on trade and investment will be concluded
soon," she said. "The summit will give it an impetus. We are looking
at our leaders to give inspiration and momentum."
An India-EU business summit is to also be held Friday to discuss
issues relating to the global economic crisis.
The EU is India"s largest trading partner with annual bilateral
trade of 77 billion euros (110 billion dollars). The proposed pact
could raise that figure past 200 billion dollars by 2015.
With weeks to go before the UN summit on climate change in
Copenhagen, global warming was to be another key area of discussions.
So far, the EU has pledged to cut emissions to 20 per cent below
1990 levels by 2020 and to deepen that cut to 30 per cent if there is
an "ambitious" deal in Copenhagen in December.
India is resisting any binding emission cuts and demanding
financing and technological support from rich countries to help
reduce its emissions.
"We will be seeking a clearer picture of where India stands on
Copenhagen," James Moran, the European Commission"s director for
Asia, was quoted as saying by the Business Standard newspaper.
"We don"t expect any revolutionary revelations, but we do hope for
some clarifications from the Indian prime minister as to the exact
stance India will take at the UN talks," he said.
India was also expected to sign a civil atomic energy pact with
the EU that would mark its formal participation in the International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).
The project, which aims to harness nuclear fusion, the power that
fuels the sun, was expected to be operational in Cadarche, France, by
2016.
Its cost was estimated at 10 billion euros and involves seven
participants, including the United States, EU, Russia, China, Japan
and South Korea.
Counterterrorism cooperation is also to be discussed. European
diplomats said the fight against a resurgent Taliban and other
radical Islamic groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan would form part of
the discussions.
Other regional issues like Sri Lanka and the peace process in the
Middle-East could also figure in the talks.


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