Increasing Trade with India - Giffey Advocates for Berlin's Commercial Expansion - Promoting increased trade with India - Giffey advocates for Berlin's business growth with India.
Berlin's Economy Senator, Franziska Giffey (SPD), is currently on a visit to India, aiming to strengthen economic ties and explore potential opportunities in the IT sector. Accompanied by a 25-member delegation, the visit began on Tuesday and will continue until Friday.
Giffey believes that diversifying Berlin's economic relations is necessary, with India being a key component in Berlin's internationalization strategy for its economy. She stated, "Given the significant changes in the global economy, we need to diversify Berlin's economic relations. India is a key component in our internationalization strategy for Berlin's economy."
In 2024, Berlin exported goods worth 140 million euros to India, with a significant exchange of goods, particularly clothing, leather goods, and electronics. The trade balance showed a surplus of around 133 million euros in favor of India. Notably, the import volume from Berlin to India in 2024 was around 273 million euros.
The capital of India, New Delhi, and India's fourth-largest city, Bengaluru, are part of Giffey's itinerary. Bengaluru, a leading IT hub in India, the world's most populous country, is the first stop on the visit.
The economic relations between Berlin and India are robust and expanding, with IT and technology sectors as key pillars. While specific Berlin-India IT sector data is scarce, the overall economic relationship is promising due to:
- Increasing trade volumes and investment interest - Strategic collaboration on emerging technologies and clean tech - Supportive government and institutional initiatives to boost bilateral cooperation
The visit comes at a time when India-Germany economic ties have been strengthening with increasing foreign direct investment and trade. German companies actively invest in India's technology and industrial sectors, and Indian IT firms maintain strong collaborations with German counterparts, including Berlin-based tech firms.
Both India and the EU (including Germany) aim to collaborate extensively on cutting-edge technologies such as clean tech, digital infrastructure, and frontier technologies. This implies promising growth for IT partnerships involving Berlin, known as a tech hub.
However, complex geopolitical and regulatory challenges, such as tariffs and bureaucratic delays, sometimes pose obstacles. Ongoing efforts to streamline trade and investment frameworks, improve tariff regimes, and facilitate smoother technological cooperation are underway.
The mutual benefits from innovation ecosystems also provide a strong foundation for enhanced IT sector collaboration between Berlin and India. Berlin’s vibrant startup ecosystem and India's IT prowess provide complementary strengths that can foster joint ventures, knowledge sharing, and innovation-driven collaborations.
As Giffey's visit continues, it is expected that she will explore further opportunities to strengthen Berlin's economic ties with India, particularly in the IT sector.
- Given the robust and expanding economic relations between Berlin and India, with the IT and technology sectors as key pillars, Giffey aims to further diversify Berlin's economic relations by focusing on potential opportunities in the IT sector during her visit to India.
- Reflecting the increasing trade volumes and investment interest between Berlin and India, Giffey's delegation will discuss strategic collaboration on emerging technologies, clean tech, and digital infrastructure during meetings in New Delhi and Bengaluru, with the goal of boosting bilateral cooperation.
- As both India and the EU continue to cooperate extensively on cutting-edge technologies, the ongoing efforts to streamline trade and investment frameworks, improve tariff regimes, and facilitate smoother technological cooperation will help pave the way for promising growth in IT partnerships involving Berlin, a renowned tech hub.
