As David Cameron calls for a speedy resolution to the EU-India free trade negotiations, small traders and farmers – alongside people living with HIV – marched on the EU-India summit as it kicked off in Delhi. Their message was "Don't trade away our lives" in protest that the talks are ignoring the impact on their livelihoods. After five years of negotiation, there has been no thorough impact assessment, in spite of repeated calls by MEPs and civil society, on what this trade deal would mean for many millions of traders, workers and farmers (Comment, 8 February).
Traidcraft, one of the UK's leading fair trade organisations with a long history of work with small producers in the sub-continent, is very concerned by research showing that a proper social impact assessment would have identified at an early stage that it would be premature to liberalise the Indian retail sector, given its importance in providing work to millions of poor Indians. Indeed, retail liberalisation could destroy twice as many jobs than would be created by inward investment.
In addition, the commission's insistence on including data exclusivity as a requirement of intellectual property liberalisation could severely affect India's ability to provide affordable medicines in the fight against HIV and tropical diseases, both in India and globally. The EU trade commissioner has indicated that a pause in negotiations is an option now. Traidcraft believes negotiations should be paused until a proper assessment of social issues allows the EU and India to negotiate a deal that considers other interests than those of big business. Better no deal now than a bad deal with serious long-term effects for many millions of India's poor.
Ram Gidoomal
Chairman, Traidcraft