Dossier for European Parliament and European Commission
Read the dossier here.
This dossier outlines the impacts of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the indigenous Adivasi community, religious minorities, India’s sustainability obligations, child labour and modern slavery, and Indian farmers.
The FTA will exacerbate land grabs and the persecution of the Indigenous Adivasi communities, whose mineral-rich lands are being exploited for resource extraction. Forced and child labour are set to increase as they are widespread in key export sectors, with no national strategy to address modern slavery.
Millions of Indian farmers rely on state subsidies that may be cut under EU trade rules, threatening livelihoods and risking renewed unrest. At the same time, the Indian government continues to weaken environmental protections in favour of corporate interests, undermining global climate commitments.
The EU’s own Sustainability Impact Assessment shows the FTA will likely fail to benefit vulnerable groups. TLS urges the EU to ensure that human rights, democracy, and sustainability remain at the core of any trade agreement with India.