German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to visit India in October; ease of doing business on top of agenda

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, June 28

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to India in October to discuss with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the possibility of employing Indians at German firms that are investing more in India. Besides this, they will be discussing the proposed multi-billion-dollar contract of German submarines to be made in collaboration with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.

German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann said on Friday the dates of visit are being finalised but it will happen in the second half of October. These will be inter-governmental consultations between India and Germany. “The ease of doing business in India will be on top of the agenda,” the envoy said, adding that Germany is looking forward to the India-EU free trade agreement getting finalised.

German firm thyssenKrupp Marine Systems has a joint-venture up with MDL, an Indian public sector firm. The other such venture is between Spanish firms Navantia and Larsen and Toubro.

Ackermann said more German defence manufacturing firms, based on the new policies of the Scholz government are keen to be a part of the ‘Make in India’ campaign.

The German Indian Business Outlook 2024 survey was released today.  Ackerman said, “The survey has given us an impression that German business in India is extremely bullish on India. The surveys found that almost 80 per cent of the German businesses want to expand their businesses, reinvest, build more factories, and invest more in India.”

A new pillar in the Germany-India ties is the skilled labour migration for study or work in Germany. There are some 45,000 Indian students in Germany at present.

There are currently 2,000 German firms working in India in sectors like machine tools, automobiles, engineering and pharmaceuticals, and employing 7.5 lakh Indian personnel.

Dr Stefan Halusa, director-general at Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, said German industry was optimistic about India.