Kerala and Bavaria today reinforced their economic and trade relations in Trivandrum and reverberated the need to develop stronger and deeper relations especially in the IT front. This was the key highlight of a Session on Europe via Munich, Business and Market opportunities in Germany organised by the Group of Technopark Companies (GTECH) in Trivandrum.
Kerala IT entrepreneurs can tap the lucrative European Union (EU) market by setting up base in Bavaria, the largest and most industrialised state in Germany, German Deputy Consul General Horst Pfeifer said .
Making a presentation at the session on Europe Via Munich, Business and Market Opportunities for Indian Companies in Bavaria / Germany' Mr Pfeifer said some 60 Indian companies had already set up their offices or manufacturing units in Bavaria with an investment of more than USD 900 million. These included Dr Reddy's Pharmaceuticals, TCS, Satyam, HCL, iGate and Wipro, he added.
''Bavaria, the largest German state, is virtually at the centre of Europe and provides a gateway for Indian businessmen to explore the EU market,'' he added.
''Home to respected brands like BMW, Audi, Siemens, Puma, Adidas and Allianz, Bavaria is the heart of the hi-tech industry in Germany in the areas such as IT, electronics, aerospace, automobiles, mechanical Engineering and telecommunications,'' he said.
With India also taking a lead in hi-tech areas such as IT and telecommunication, the entrepreneurs from the two countries had a natural synergy, Mr Pfeifer added.
''Bavaria, the largest German state, is virtually at the centre of Europe and provides a gateway for Indian businessmen to explore the EU market,'' he added.
''Home to respected brands like BMW, Audi, Siemens, Puma, Adidas and Allianz, Bavaria is the heart of the hi-tech industry in Germany in the areas such as IT, electronics, aerospace, automobiles, mechanical Engineering and telecommunications,'' he said.
With India also taking a lead in hi-tech areas such as IT and telecommunication, the entrepreneurs from the two countries had a natural synergy, Mr Pfeifer added.
Delivering the special address during the occasion, Dr. Ajay Kumar, Secretary IT, Government of Kerala said that the Kerala with its core strength in the Information Technology sector is better positioned to partner Bavaria and called for enhanced cooperation and dialogue between both the states to further strengthen the bilateral economic cooperation. Stating that the fundamentals of the Indian economy were strong, Dr. Kumar said Indian firms were becoming globally competitive and the country was emerging as an export hub for a range of products from agricultural goods to automobilie components and IT enabled services.
Mr John Kottayil, Executive Director, State of Bavaria India Office, Bangalore said export from Bavaria was 150 billion Euros last year. Inviting investors in the 19 manufacturing clusters in the state, he said all assistances were provided to potential investors. Mr Quintus Bartscherer, Partner, KoBa-Treuhand GmbH, said Germany was in the process of enacting a new law to bring down the share capital from 25,000 to 10,000 Euros.
Ms Britta Peterson-Barhnusen, Head of Passport and Visa Section, German Consulate in Chennai, said the consulate had issued 38,000 visas last year, 80 per cent of which were the Shengen business visas. There was a 17 per cent growth in the number of visas issued by the consulate last year, she said, adding that the target for this year was 42,000 visas. The German consulate in Chennai receives 350 applications every day and schedules nearly 120 visa interviews daily. The Shengen business visa enabled entry to more than 20 European countries, she said.
Mr. Satish Babu, Hon. Secretary GTECH and President InApp Information Technologies welcomed the members to the session
The session was organised by Group of Technopark companies in Association with the Bavarian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Transport and Technology.
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