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IN MEDIA – FEBRUARY 2007
In
Media Archive...
Can India become an EU
member?
Business Line, India, February 24, 2007
By
Pradeep S Mehta
The European Union is a
unique success story and thus many countries
are queuing up to join it. Starting from six
countries in 1951, it now has 27 members with
many more set to join. One question raised to
the EU's Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn
in the columns of Financial Times recently
shows how adventurous people can be. A reader
from London asked Rehn if the EU might expand
to include Morocco, Libya or Egypt? The answer
was `no'. Rehn expanded his answer to speak
about the qualification criteria to be based
upon elements such as geographical, historical
and cultural. None of these apply to the three
north African countries.
In fact, because of
these very reasons, Turkey, which is otherwise
a member of the European Customs Union, is
unable to achieve its objective of getting
into the EU.
Then, can India become a
member of the EU? Mr Romano Prodi, Italian
Prime Minister and former President of the
European Commission, in an interview to The
Hindu, was quoted: "... India is not a
potential but a real partner, politically,
culturally and economically... " A bilateral
free trade agreement is envisaged with the EU,
which will enhance political relations, but
how can India be a partner culturally? Indeed,
it can, being itself so integrated, despite
the numerous languages, beliefs, faiths and
cultures. Indeed, India could be a role model
for Europe that is seeking a larger political
union (including with Turkey). When, in 2004,
Ms Sonia Gandhi was elected the Congress party
head, a friend called me from Kuala Lumpur,
and asked whether India was joining the EU. I
did not catch his drift, but understood when
she was the party's first choice for prime
minister.
The author is Secretary General, CUTS
International, a leading research, advocacy
and networking group and can be reached at
psm@cuts.org
This article can also be
viewed at:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
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