Activists protest in front of the European Parliament to stop EU-India trade deal "harmful" provisions

As European Commission pressure mounts on India to rush into signing a free trade agreement (FTA) by mid-April, activists from across Europe mobilized in Brussels on Tuesday (April 9) to demand the EC withdraw provisions that will harm people’s access to medicines in India and across the developing world. Civil society organizations have learnt through leaked texts that the EC, in closed-door negotiations, is aggressively pushing for stronger industry control at the expense of public health, threatening millions of lives.

Campaigners from organizations including Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the Stop AIDS Campaign, Health Action International (HAI) Europe and Act-Up Paris protested outside the European Parliament alongside concerned MEPs.

“In the wake of several recent pro-public health decisions in India, the European Union is now doubly keen to shut down India as the ‘pharmacy to the developing world’ and ensure the profits of its pharmaceutical companies are kept intact,” said Leila Bodeux of Oxfam. “80% of medicines used to treat HIV in the developing world come from India, and if the EU succeeds in retaining the harmful provisions that remain in the agreement, it would cut off this lifeline supply for millions of people,” she warned.