By Kavaljit Singh | Commentary | September 20, 2011
Under the proposed India-EU free trade agreement, the European Commission (EC) has sought an expansive mandate to negotiate on investment issues on the behalf of the European Union. On January 20, 2011, the EC officially made recommendations to the European Council seeking modifications in the negotiating directives for the trade agreement with India. If these recommendations are accepted, the EC would pursue comprehensive cross-border investment liberalization and protection provisions under the proposed free trade agreement with India. The EC…
Through this trade agreement, EU is seeking to cut India’s tariffs down to zero or near zero levels for 90% of agricultural products. This will clear the way for EU members to dump their cheap subsidised agricultural products in India. With domestic subsidies and price controls that may be cut, the unorganised sector is particularly vulnerable. According to the FAO, India and Bangladesh faced the largest number of import surges of agriculture products in Asia over a 25 year period. The India-EU FTA would…
By Kavaljit Singh | Briefing Paper # 2 | June 2011
The European Commission (EC) is seeking an expansive mandate to negotiate on investment issues on the behalf of the European Union. In its recommendations to the European Council, the EC sought modifications in the negotiating directives for the proposed free trade agreement with India. If these recommendations are accepted, the EC would pursue comprehensive cross-border investment liberalization and investment protection provisions under the trade agreement with India. The EC document calls for the “progressive abolition of restrictions on investment, with the aim to ensure the highest level of market access.”
By Kavaljit Singh | Briefing Paper # 1 | March 2011
One of the major underlying themes in the ongoing negotiations on India-EU FTA is the liberalization of trade and investment in banking services. With the help of FTA with India, EU is seeking greater market access and export gains for its banks through cross-border
supply and direct investments. Some of the key demands emanating from Europe include removal of all barriers to market access (commercial presence, cross-border supply and consumption) and grant of national treatment commitments. The EU banks and powerful lobby groups such as European Services Forum (ESF) have…
By Hyekyung Cho | Jointly Published by Madhyam and SOMO | December 2010
South Korea has seen a rapid financial development in the past decade in line with financial liberalization policies that the government rigorously pursued. The government’s ambition to make South Korea a financial hub in Northeast Asia supported by the self-serving financial industry pushed the financial expansion far beyond the ability of the Korean economy to deal with risks and dangers inherent in financial development.
Eventually, the Korean financial sector has become the victim of its own success, suffering ill-fated overstretch….
