mr president i voted against the motion for a resolution that deals with the negotiations for a free trade agreement with india
in my opinion the conclusion of any such agreement negotiated by the european commission would only serve big multinational corporations both in india and in europe
in contrast to the last speaker in my opinion the trade negotiations are not driven by the interests of raising people out of poverty and improving people's living standards they are driven by those big business agendas to get more market access and increase profits
i stand with the poor farmers trade unionists and workers of india who oppose the fta as it will mean a further undermining of living standards and working conditions for large parts of the indian working class in particular those that work in the large informal sector
furthermore this fta agenda and its drive to enforce intellectual property rights and data exclusivity endangers access to cheap generic medicines that are produced in india
today these generics are of vital importance to people across the world suffering from the likes of hiv and aids
because of the profiteering of the private major pharmaceutical companies they simply cannot afford the branded equivalents
