India-Germany Relations

Germany is India's sixth largest trading partner (after US, UK, Japan, China & Belgium) accounting for about 3.64% of our global trade.

Bilateral trade has been growing and has crossed the figure of € 7.5 billion in 2005 showing an increase of 22%, exports from India were € 3.4 billion (+15.8%) and imports were € 4.2 billion (+27.7%). The major items
of exports to Germany are engineering goods, textiles and leather goods and major items of imports are machinery and chemicals & pharmaceuticals.

Featuring:

‹›

India accounts for 0. 5% of total German trade and ranks 7th among Asian exporters to Germany.

Knowledge-based industry (IT, biotech), entertainment, health care, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, fresh fruits & processed food stuffs, floriculture, value addition & diversification in traditional areas such as cotton, silk, leather, sports goods, toys and Christmas decorations are areas for growth.

Featuring:

‹›

Nearly 1600 Indo-German collaboration agreements and 600 Indo- German joint ventures are presently in operation. The largest cooperation are in the field of machinery and parts followed by heavy vehicles, chemicals, technical consultancy services, computers, electrical appliances etc. During the year 2004, the Indo-German collaboration companies were market leaders in as many as fifteen product groups. These were followed by nine companies, which occupied the second spot in the industries under consideration.

German investment in India, which averaged USD 200 million annually in the nineties, declined to Euro 92 million in 2001, Euro 52.7 million in 2002 and Euro 46.4 million in 2003. There was a reversal of this trend in 2004, when German investments rose to Euro 160 million. German FDI declined in 2005 to Euro 72 million. It increased substantially in the 1st quarter of 2006 to Euro 211 million. The major sectors attracting German investment into India during 1991-2005 were electrical equipment and metallurgical industry. The major sectors attracting technology transfer during the same period were industrial machinery and electrical equipment.

Featuring:

‹›

A new and welcome trend is of Indian investments in Germany. For instance, Bharat Forge Limited (BFL), Ranbaxy, Samtel, Hexaware Technologies, NIIT, Wockhardt, Graphite India Limited, Tata Autocomp Systems Ltd, etc. have either acquired German companies or started their own subsidiaries in Germany.

S&T Cooperation:

Featuring:

‹›

India and Germany enjoy active cooperation in science and technology. During 2004, more than 150 exchanges of scientists from both sides took place. There are presently 150 joint S&T research projects. There is an exchange programme launched by DST and DAAD to encourage collaboration between young scientists. Another initiative is to provide opportunity every year for 25 young Indian scholars to meet with Nobel Laureates in Lindau. India is participating in the setting up of the new heavy ion and anti-proton accelerator facility in Germany. There has been ongoing cooperation in the field of space. India has launched two German satellites in the late 1990s and 2001. India has agreed to participate in the EU Galileo satellite navigation system. Daimler Chrysler India and CSIR have successfully
collaborated in production of bio-diesel from Jatropha plants. During the visit of Chancellor Schroeder in October 2004, a Science Circle networking Indian and German scholars and research institutions was inaugurated and an MOU signed between the Max Planck Institute and the Department of Science and Technology. (In pursuance of this MOU, four partner groups were set up in 2005). During the visit, it was also agreed to set up Joint Working Groups (JWG’s) on Environment & Energy and Bio-medicine.

New proposals / initiatives include: LAPAN-TUBSAT, a 55 kg micro satellite that would be launched onboard Indian PSLV as a piggy back payload during 2005-06. Further, a number of German proposals for participation in the Indian Moon mission Chandrayaan 1 have been accepted by ISRO. India has become a signatory to the multi-national MOU in November 2005 to set up the Euro 700 million heavy ion and antiproton accelerator facility in Darmstadt; an Indo-German liaison office on infectious diseases research was established on October 1, 2005 in Hyderabad. An office of the German Research Council has been opened in New Delhi. During the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in April 2006, both sides agreed to work towards the establishment of an Indo-German Scientific Research and Technology Centre at an early date.

Featuring:

‹›

Student exchange programme:

The number of Indian students in Germany has steadily increased from 600 in 2000 to more than 5000 presently. There are student exchange programmes such as between the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and IITs / IIMs allowing 80 / 15 slots to Indian M-Tech / postgraduate management students for nine months study / research programmes as part of their studies. DAAD has similar arrangements with DST, CSIR and UGC for Indian research scholars.

Featuring:

‹›

ICCR had allocated 10 scholarships for Germany under its foreign exchange programme for the academic session July-August 2005. Six slots were 15 utilized. ICCR has recently decided to set up five rotating chairs on contemporary Indian studies in various German universities.

There are two schools in Germany with Indian names – Mahatma Gandhi School in Berlin, and Jawaharlal Nehru School in Neusterlitz. Another school in Berlin – Obserschule an der Weide would rename itself - Rabindra Nath Tagore School – in May 2006. One student each from Mahatma Gandhi School and Jawaharlal Nehru School visits India annully for two weeks at the invitation of ICCR and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Trust respectively.

Featuring:

‹›

In addition, there are school-to-school partnership arrangements. These include arrangements between Mahatma Gandhi School in Berlin and Luther School in Chaibasa, Jharkhand; St. Bono Gymnasium, Dresden and Aditi Malya International School in Bangalore; Vidya Devi Jindal School in Hissar with Real Schule in Frankfurt; Amity International, Noida with Nehru School in Neusterlitz, Berlin; and Real Schule in Kornwestheim with DPS, R.K. Puram, New Delhi.

Cooperation in the field of Information and Culture:

Featuring:

‹›

India and Germany have traditionally had close cultural relations. A Cultural Exchange Programme was signed in 2003 and was valid till 2005. Implementation has not been satisfactory due to funding problems on the German side. A new Cultural Exchange Programme was signed on October 25, 2005 for the next three years. The CEP covers cooperation in the fields of higher education, general and vocational education, performing and physical arts, handicrafts, media (books, radio, television and other forms), archaeology and monument conservation. A special thrust has been given to active promotion of youth interaction, and full support for various cultural events at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006 where India is a Guest of Honour. The CEP also envisages institution of an annual Tagore- Einstein lecture series to be held alternately in India and Germany.

The Cultural Wing in the Indian Embassy in Berlin coordinates cultural activities in Germany with the assistance of ICCR, German institutions, Indian Association and Friendship Societies. In 2004, a total of 159 events were organized. The Embassy has also introduced regular talk series for creating a more informed understanding of India among school students and teachers.

Featuring:

‹›

There has been increased interest in the Indian motion picture and TV industry, in particular Bollywood. The 'Bollywood and Beyond' Film Festival (Stuttgart and Ludwigsberg) in 2004 was the first ever Indian film festival. The success of 'Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham' dubbed in German and which was broadcast on prime time in TV station RTL 2 in November 2004 (and seen by more than 3.2 million people) has led to RTL 2 showing more than 10 Indian films dubbed in German in the year 2005. Six more Indian films are being shown in first half of 2006. A film festival was also 16 organised during the ‘India Week in Bavaria’ held in Munich in October 2005. A co-production treaty is in an advanced stage of consideration. In a new development, there were two proposals in 2005 for shooting feature films in India, one of which has already been completed.

Important streets, public places named after Indian leaders:

Featuring:

‹›

There are three schools in Germany with Indian names – Mahatma Gandhi School in Berlin, Jawaharlal Nehru School in Neusterlitz and Ravindra Nath Tagore School in Berlin. A street in Berlin districts of Pankow and Lichtenberg is named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.