FORMATION OF SOUTH ASIAN UNION
LOK SABHA
The idea of creating
a South Asian Economic Union on the lines of the European Union
was proposed by the Group of Eminent Persons appointed by the
SAARC Summit, 1997 to draw up a vision for SAARC beyond the year
2000. The Group of Eminent Persons had proposed a step by step
approach to create a South Asian Free Trade Area which should
be fully operational by 2010, a South Asian Customs Union by 2015,
and ultimately, a South Asian Economic Union by 2020. India has
called on SAARC to initiate action to achieve this goal.
The report of
the Group of Eminent Persons was considered by the SAARC Summit
of Heads of State and Government in 1998. The Summit directed
the members to study the report in details. The SAARC Standing
Committee in its 27th Session in December 2002 had
felt that it was important at this stage to focus on each incremental
step leading to the South Asian Economic Union including SAPTA
(SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement), SAFTA (South Asian Free
Trade Area) and other trade facilitations measures. This was endorsed
by the SAARC Council of Ministers and by the 11th SAARC
Summit in January 2002, in which all SAARC Member States participated.
India has called
for the implementation of the recommendations made in the report,
and as a first step, is pushing for the early creation of a free
trade area in South Asia through SAFTA.
Recently, EAM
has advocated the idea of a South Asian Union. This is not a formal
proposal but simply an expression of a desirable long term goal.
This information
was given by the Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Vinod
Khanna in the Lok Sabha today.
