Invitation to next meeting of GIRT Hamburg on 27th May 2013

Quo vadis India? Deliberations on the Road Ahead

Dear friends of GIRT Hamburg,

We cordially invite you to the next meeting of German-Indian Round Table in Hamburg on 27th of May (18:30h). Considering that past few weeks and months have witnessed mixed reporting on India in Germany, a feeling of uncertainty has been created in some quarters. Concerns have been raised about issues such as the protection of intellectual property, ease of doing business, slowing pace of economic growth, and even of personal safety of women in India. The volume of bilateral trade too has gone down the previous year.

And yet, there seems to be a clear silver line on the horizon, as expressed by the strong fundamentals of India’s geography, demography, polity, and economy. In this meeting we intend to discuss, why despite all challenges – perceived or real – India continues to remain a resilient and attractive destination of choice for businesses seeking new and stable business models, valuable impulses for product and service innovations, and as a source of foreign direct investments (FDI). To put it in a nutshell, given the global socio-economic conditions Indo-German bilateral relations offer opportunities on a scale never witnessed before.

It is our pleasure to welcome Mr. Mukesh Ambasta, the Acting Consul General of India in Hamburg, as our guest that evening to share insights on policy measures and other efforts India is undertaking to revert to its targeted trajectory of growth. His talk would be preceded by a brief overview of recent economic developments in India upon completion of the fiscal year 2012-13 by Dr. Rajnish Tiwari, Head of GIRT Hamburg.

We will also utilize this opportunity to inform our members about the upcoming “India Week Hamburg”, scheduled to be celebrated from 7th to 15th September 2013, which is – as in previous years – co-organized by GIRT Hamburg in close collaboration with institutional players such as the Senate Chancellery and Ministry of Culture of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, and the Hamburg Business Development Corporation (HWF) along with many other valued partners from the Metropolitan Region.

As usual, this GIRT meeting will take place in Hotel Baseler Hof (Esplanade 11, 20354 Hamburg). In case of interest please write to tiwari@tuhh.de. Owing to space constraints we reserve the right to admission and will explicitly confirm accepted registrations. Please also note that GIRT meetings are held as a “Stammtisch” which means there is no entry or participation fee but the participants are expected to consume their evening meal at the venue and pay for one’s own consumption.

Looking forward to an interesting and informative get together!

With kind regards,
Rajnish Tiwari

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64th Republic Day of India in Hamburg

The Consulate General of India, Hamburg, will celebrate the 64th Republic Day of India at its premises on Saturday 26th January, 2013. The celebration will begin at 10 A.M. All Indian nationals and Persons of Indian Origin are cordially invited to attend the function. Confirmation regarding attendance may please be conveyed at Tel: (040)338036/324744/330557 or through fax(040-323757) or email (cgihh@aol.com) latest by 22nd January 2013.

Source: http://www.cgihamburg.de/ (08.01.2013)

GIRT Hamburg goes Bremen: Next Meeting on 10th December in Bremen

Dear friends of GIRT Hamburg,

As usual, in 2012 too we are pleased to organize the last meeting of the year in cooperation with the Bremen Chamber of Commerce. The theme of the meeting would be chances and challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (“Mittelstand”) in their India engagement.

We are pleased to announce a guest talk by Mr. Mayur Shinde, who is responsible for sales and business development (India) at FRISTAM Pumpen KG (GmbH & Co.) in Hamburg. As someone with an Indian background and a long-term experience of Germany, Mr. Shinde has a distinct advantage of having both insider and outsider perspectives of the issues involved. He would be sharing his insights with us and we would also have enough time for a lively discussion (with him and other participants) and exchanging ideas.

The meeting will be held on 10th December in the Bremen Chamber of Commerce, from 18:00 to 20:00 hours. Registration for the meeting is being coordinated directly by Ms. Anja Reinkensmeier of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce (in CC). Online information is available under:

http://www.handelskammer-bremen.ihk24.de/System/VstTermine/2123824/tg_10_12_2012_89463.html

Please note that on account of limited seating capacity, we may have to resort to first-come-first-serve basis in accepting registrations.

We very much look forward to welcoming you in Bremen.

With best regards

Rajnish Tiwari

Indo-German Trade has grown significantly

According to a report by Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Germany’s trade with the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) has grown 7-folds within past 15 years (between 1996-2011). In comparison the trade volume as a whole grew only 2.5 folds.

Trade with India also registered significant growth. While German exports to India rose from € 2.4 billion in 1996 to € 10.9 billion in 2011, Indian exports to Germany rose from €2.0 billion to € 7.5 billion in the same period.

Detailed information  in German are available in press release issued by FSO on 29.08.2012.

An English version without detailed information on the matter (but contact details for further enquiries and methodological description) is also available at FSO website.