An EFTA Parliamentary Committee delegation visited New Delhi 2-6 April and held talks with Indian Parliamentarians, Ministry officials and representatives from Business and Industry. The visit was undertaken with the aim of promoting a comprehensive trade and investment agreement between the EFTA States and India and exchanging views with Indian legislators on the merits of free trade and the current state of play in world trade.
During the visit the delegation - led by the Committee Chairman Mr Svein Roald Hansen and comprising 10 members from the EFTA national parliaments, 2 observers from the EFTA Consultative Committee, and support staff - met two Standing Committees of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India: The Standing Committee on External Affairs and the Standing Committee on Commerce. The delegation also held talks with Mr Gopal K. Pillai, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as well as with representatives from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).