German-Indian governmental consultations

The first German-Indian governmental consultations took place on 31 May in New Delhi. The German delegation consisting of 140 people included the ministers for defence, internal affairs, the environment and education as well as company representatives. The consultations are proof of the increasing significance of emerging markets for the German economy.

The two countries once again declared mutual support as part of the G4 group (Germany, India, Brazil and Japan – the countries seeking permanent membership in the UN Security Council). Additionally, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Manmohan Singh, the head of the Indian government, expect that the value of trade exchange between their countries will reach 20 billion euros by 2012 (in 2010 it was worth 15.4 billion euros); for comparison, trade exchange between Poland and Germany is worth 66.5 billion euros. German officials were also trying to convince India to buy 126 Eurofighter aircraft manufactured by the European consortium, EADS. The governmental consultations prove that the significance of India and, more broadly, of developing countries for the German economy is growing. The data concerning German foreign trade, which were published at the beginning of this year by the Federal Statistical Office, indicate that German companies are increasingly active in expanding to directions other than the European Union and the USA. Such consultations as the ones on New Delhi are mainly aimed at building a friendly atmosphere for the operation of German firms on new markets. Intergovernmental consultations with China have been scheduled for July. <ciechan>