Nederlandstalige versie van deze pagina   back
P-4051/06, 13 September 2006


Questions to the European Commission,
by Max van den Berg (PvdA)

Subject: 'Points of interest for the EU-India Summit'


  1. Is the Commission aware of the large gap between Dalits & Adivasi and the rest of the Indian population? (37% of Dalits are below the official poverty line against 20% of the general population)How does the Commission help to narrow this gap in its development relations with India? Is the Commission planning to raise this issue in the context of the discussion on the MDGs during the EU-India Summit 2006?

  2. Can the Commission, based on its present evaluation mechanisms give information on the extent to which Dalits and Adivasi have been reached by EU-funded programmes? If not, does the Commission plan to develop specific indicators to measure the inclusion of both groups in development programmes as well as their inclusion in EU based companies and their supply chain in particular?

  3. Is the Commission willing to raise, in both the EU-India Political as well as the Business Summit, the concerns of civil society organizations in India regarding the negative social, environmental and fiscal impact of the fast growing number of Special Economic Zones which seem to violate the OECD Guidelines that EU-based companies are supposed to adhere to?

  4. What plans does the Commission have to effectively support the study (see: http://www.dalits.nl/pdf/hrc060728.pdf) by two UN Special Rapporteurs on discrimination based on work and descent, including securing financing for the proposed Consultations in Asia and Africa?