New Delhi, 18/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Union and India have decided to establish a group of experts to pursue dialogue on agricultural trade. Dialogue was begun early in the week on the occasion of European Commissioner Franz Fischler's visit to New Delhi. On Wednesday, Mr Fischler, responsible for Common Agricultural Policy, welcomed the "fruitful" talks that he had had over these three days with the political, government and opposition leaders, as well as with representatives for trade, agriculture and industry.
"I believe that we were able to identify much common ground to build on for the future. India and the EC are major players in the WTO agricultural negotiations, so a better understanding of our respective positions, can only contribute to making the ongoing WTO negotiations on agriculture a success, leading to a win-win solution among all partners", said Mr Fischler speaking at a press conference in the Indian capital. In addition to the new group made up of experts on agriculture, trade and rural development that will, he hopes, help to focus on what "we have in common rather than on our differences", Mr Fischler hopes that ongoing talks this week would also be assured at ministerial level "as soon as possible" with the participation of Ministers Kumar (agriculture), Maran (trade) and himself. The Commissioner rejected the idea of possibly withdrawing the developing countries from multilateral talks. This would significantly limit their potential and the prospects for prosperity, he said, while admitting that we must recognise the special needs of the LDC and ensure an effective response through a special and differentiated treatments that are appropriate. Also adding that, in the framework of the negotiations underway in Geneva, the European approach integrates the flexibility needed to achieve this, from which India should benefit, from the EU.
Mr Fischler recalls that India is one of the largest beneficiaries from the European generalised system preferences in favour of LDC, just after China, and that it has a more "comfortable" surplus in its agricultural trade with the Union, its largest trading partner. For every Dollar exported from the EU towards India, India exports ten Dollars, he said. For both of them, agriculture represents much more than a simple industry, given that the promotion of rural development is part of their lists of respective priorities, underlined Mr Fischler. Not counting the "common interests" they already have in this field, the Union and India must also ensure that the result of the negotiations covers "other non-trade related concerns", such as the multifunctional role of agriculture in terms of environmental protection and the sustainable development of rural areas. Finally, the partners share their desire to promote the creation of a multilateral register of geographic indications as it is evident, said Mr Fischler, that when products, whose name guarantees their quality, enter a market, they must not find their segment already occupied by imitations.