India to EU: declare us secure.

• Position: DATA SECURITY - Brief article

India has asked the European Union (EU) to formally recognize India as a data-secure country. The Times of India reported the issue came up for discussion in a recent meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Algirdas Semeta, the European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud.

The issue is an important point of contention in the proposed Bilateral Investment and Protection Agreement (BITA), a free trade agreement between India and the EU that has been in negotiation since 2007.

Sharma pointed out that India's access to the EU market depends on it being declared data secure. The lack of such recognition prevents the flow of sensitive data, including patient information for telemedicine, to India under current EU data protection laws.

"It is our clear analysis that our existing law does meet the required EU standards. We would...