New Delhi | Danish Parliament Speaker Søren Gade Jensen has expressed hope that negotiations for a free trade agreement between India and the European Union will "again start" after the 2024 general elections in the country.
Interacting with PTI here on Monday, Jensen said that he "admired" what has happened on the democratic aspect in India.
The FTA (foreign trade agreement) negotiations between India and the EU were initiated in 2007, but they encountered a standstill in 2013 due to disagreements on various significant matters.
The Danish Parliament Speaker is currently visiting India.
"One of my great concerns is the fact that the free trade agreement between Europe and India is not put into place. I know that the reasons are that we have put up this CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism)... It is not just about trade, it's also about some political issues. And I fully understand why it can be a problem for India," Jensen told PTI.
He said India and the Europe should have "closer ties" because "we share the same values" and that is what is all about in the long run.
The 18th parliamentary elections is due this year in India.
Jensen said, "I really do hope that after the elections we will again start the negotiations on the FTA. Because as I have already said, we share the same values, and we should explore that and we should also stick together. Because in the years to come, the shared values...Because, we have to show that democracy and freedom of speech and rule of law that is the future and that is not the past".
During the interaction, he also said he "admired" what India has been doing in the last one decade.
"You have now a programme on health, for hundreds of millions of people in India. You have done a lot on education, you have done a lot on food programme for the poor ones. So, a lot of things have happened in India, Besides that you are also having more manufacturing companies inside India," he said.
The Danish Parliament Speaker said, "The general elections are coming up in India and more than 900 million people (electors) are going to to vote. And, 900 million people is, you know, out of my mind, but I know that you have a very good voting system. You can't cheat. I think this is a very good example for other countries because we must remember that there is less people in the world living in a democratic country today than 25 years ago."
