The Indo-German chamber of commerce has been trying to improve bilateral relations between India and Germany for many years and remains very active when it comes to starting new joint ventures. Recently the organisation celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce is headed by a committee of 20 elected Indian and German members, comprising of industrialists and CEOs of German and Indo-German companies. One of the chamber's key activities is creating forums for dialogue for experts from both countries. Recently the chamber brought together high-profile speakers from various fields likes travel and tourism, politics, IT, private and public services, education, health and economics to express their views on India’s potential and opportunities for doing business with Germany.
India partner country at German fairs
The meeting was attended by dignitaries like President Ranjit Pratap and the Lord Mayor of Dusseldorf, Dirk Elbers. Discussion focussed on the achievements of the chamber in the past 50 years. Bernhard Steinruecke, the Director General, stressed the chamber's importance. He said that India had participated at some of the largest German Trade Fairs in 2006, at the Hannover fair, Frankfurt book fair, then in 2007 it was the partner country at ITB in Berlin, the largest tourism fair in the world. Last year it had participated in ILA in Berlin, the oldest aviation show in the world. The fact that India could be positioned as an interesting location for various businesses and for important trade fairs was partly due to the chamber's commitment.
Steinruecke also pointed to the future and added that much remained to be done. The organisation wanted to continue its work to benefit its members. It wanted to make sure that India remained one of the most important export markets for Germany companies in Asia. It also wanted to show Indian companies that Germany - located at the heart of Europe - is an interesting location as well.
With its population rising and international competition increasing, India needs strong economic growth. Thus, the chamber sees its role in facilitating joint cooperation amongst German and India companies. Some companies have already established a reputation for creating mutual understanding between India and Germany in the past, such as Siemens, Bosch, Deutsche Bank, Mercedes and Volkswagen.
With constant efforts to improve Indo-German ties, the chamber has formulated several strategies to promote successful business growth and ease market entry for new and old businesses. Mathias Lingnau, Member of the Board DHL Express Germany, pointed out that the members of the chamber had a lot in common as they had a mission to promote businesses in both India and Germany. DHL Express helps moving the goods of companies that are doing business with India. This is just one example of many for the establishment of successful business ties.
More than 6,000 member companies
Despite the fact that much is being done, the chamber still believes there is more scope for improvement in several areas of business like banking, investments and human skills. With 6,700 member companies in the chamber's membership directory already, the chamber is confident that it can attract more entrepreneurs to join in Indo-German trade. The hope is that the chamber can continue to make a decisive contribution to improving ties between Germany and India for many years in the future.
Author: Nikki Rattan
Editor: Grahame Lucas
