Neither India, nor any other country lodged an explicit objection on the proposed EU tariff concessions for Pakistani goods, as submitted by the European Commission, member of EU parliament. Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to South Asia Jean Lambert through an email to BR said.
"From what we understand, and with the caveat that our information neither India, nor any other country, has lodged an explicit objection - their trade representative just asked for more time to consult with his capital before giving a firm reply, exactly as some other countries from both Asia/South America did.
She further explained: "We are therefore reasonably optimistic on the issue, and fully acknowledge that Pakistan needs these concessions to materialise as soon as possible." Jeans said the EU tariff concessions for Pakistani goods were discussed at a meeting of the EP International Trade Committee on December 1, 2010. "On this occasion, in the name of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with South Asia, I was able to convey to our colleagues our strong call for these proposals to be endorsed swiftly," she said. This is necessary in order for these concessions to become EU law, she added.
While talking about the legislative proposal of tariff concession, she said it is still being examined, adding that "We also had the opportunity to be briefed by the services of the European Commission on the state-of-play of discussions in Geneva at the WTO."
She said since a specific waiver has been requested by the EU, in order for our concessions to be deemed WTO-compatible; these two processes, which are taking place in parallel (examination at the EP and the WTO), are completely separate from each other. It has been reported that India has opposed "unilateral market access to Pakistan," proposed by European Union, by waiving World Trade Organisation rules. In a WTO meeting, which was held on November 30 to review the proposals submitted by the EU for consideration of the Council for Trade in Goods of WTO, India has shown grave concerns over the additional autonomous trade preferences granted by the EU to Pakistan.
According to reports Indian ambassador raised multiple objections in the meeting over the application of EU for a "waiver from GATT Articles I and XIII", concerning autonomous preferences for Pakistan. He said that temporary tariff concessions could not attract the foreign direct investment (FDI) and provide employment to the flood affected people.