India and the EU should consider a less-ambitious free trade agreement if necessary, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, vice chair of the Delegation for Relations with India, said. She was speaking to journalists from India. “Yes I would prefer that [a watered down agreement], it’s better to take small steps and move on than moving for a very high goal that is not achievable in the near future,” she said.
The India EU summit of March 30 failed to breathe life back into the stalled Broadbased Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA). There have been gaps in the offers and demand of both sides in the trade in services, automobiles and wine and spirit sectors,” she said.
Ms. Van Nieuwenhuizen’s sentiments were shared by Geoffrey van Orden, who is an conservative MEP and chair of the Delegation for Relations with India. ““Maybe some of the ideas are a bit too ambitious in certain areas. Maybe there is some merit in exploring something slightly less ambitious,” he said.
