Activists protest in front of the European Parliament to stop EU-India trade deal "harmful" provisions

As European Commission pressure mounts on India to rush into signing a free trade agreement (FTA) by mid-April, activists from across Europe mobilized in Brussels on Tuesday (April 9) to demand the EC withdraw provisions that will harm people’s access to medicines in India and across the developing world. Civil society organizations have learnt through leaked texts that the EC, in closed-door negotiations, is aggressively pushing for stronger industry control at the expense of public health, threatening millions of lives.

Campaigners from organizations including Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the Stop AIDS Campaign, Health Action International (HAI) Europe and Act-Up Paris protested outside the European Parliament alongside concerned MEPs.