Jun 08: A four-member French delegation led by the Special Representative for Bilateral Economic Relations, Mr. Paul Hermelin called on the Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Shri Som Prakash here today. They discussed the scope for mutual cooperation across the entire gamut of bilateral and international trade and economic issues.
Shri Som Prakash gave an overview of major initiatives and reforms of the Modi Government in reducing the cost of business and increasing the Ease of Doing Business in India. He also explained the success of the India-France Fast Track Mechanism.
Shri Som Prakash highlighted India’s priorities ahead of the impending 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of the WTO due to be held in Geneva next week. The Minister sought the support of the Government of France for India’s proposal seeking a TRIPS waiver in view of the global fight against the Covid pandemic. He also pointed out India’s stance on WTO negotiations related to e-Commerce and the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions that is due to expire in the run-up to the MC12.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hermelin said France is keen to pursue the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between European Union and India. Both sides hoped to conclude the agreement before 2024. The pact will pave the way for India to give a boost to trade with the 27-member nation EU bloc, subject to ratification by both sides including the European Parliament. The two sides are due to reopen the FTA talks in Brussels on the 17th of June.
The French delegation included the Ambassador of France to India, Mr. Emmanuel Lenain.
****
Disclaimer: We donot claim that the images used as part of the news published are always owned by us. From time to time, we use images sourced as part of news or any related images or representations. Kindly take a look at our image usage policy on how we select the image that are used as part of the news.
