Introduction

Abstract

The present volume attempts a critical appraisal of select legal and Constitutional provisions in India and European Union in the context of trade, investment and development and builds a comparative perspective on international law. It would help in cultivating appreciation of different cultures and traditions in which the national laws are embedded and in overcoming misunderstandings and prejudices among policy makers and academic communities. It would also provide an input in fostering sustainable governance system, not only in the countries and states of European and Indian Union but also other developed and developing nations that are revisiting their strategies of globalization, in the context of growing concerns of sustainability, regional imbalance, social inequality and absence of social security for the workers. It may not herald the birth of comparative legal studies in India, produced through an extremely productive Indo-German dialogue, spread over a time span of about two decades, but can certainly be credited for bringing in a paradigm shift in the discourse by linking the issues with the highly contested theme of globalisation. It is difficult to disagree with Helmut Goerlich and M. P. Singh that continuity with traditions is extremely important, particularly in areas pertaining to legal system. An exposure to alternate legal paradigms across countries can, however, break new grounds and help in bringing in elements of innovation in the legislative system as also Constitutional provisions.