The Indian Response to the EU’s Regulatory Standardization: The Case of Public Procurement and Social Standards under the EU-India Free Trade Agreement

Trade policy has been used as an instrument to promote the notion that the European Union’s (EU) common values and norms are a model for other regions. The mechanism to promote EU values across diverse regions has evolved from strategic partnership to an open strategic autonomy approach and is guided by the aspiration to export a preferred model of liberalization and governance in partner countries. But not all countries are willing to adopt EU regulatory standardization, and the “one-size-fits-all” approach does not always apply. Using the case study of the EU-India free trade agreement, this chapter discusses how the EU’s efforts to replicate the model for standardization in the public procurement and sustainable development chapters stalled the talks. The requirement to conform with the template for procurement liberalization and human rights depends on countries’ current systems in place, political systems, geographical and geopolitical realities, as well as levels of socioeconomic development.