Brussels, Sep 29(Inditop.com) About 300 businesspersons, entrepreneurs and government officials from India and the European Union (EU) will meet here from Sep 30-Oct 2 to discuss ways to boost bilateral trade, EuAsiaNews reported Tuesday.
EU-India trade exchanges are currently valued at 75 billion euros (about $109 billion) annually.
“We believe we are bringing in our plate opportunities worth approximately 20 billion euros (about $29 billion) for the next five years,” Gul Kripalani, president of the Mumbai-based Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC), told a news conference here Monday.
The India-Europe Business Partnership Summit will be organised here by IMC in collaboration with the Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) and the Belgo-Indian chamber of commerce and Industry.
Noting that Belgian crown prince Phillippe will be the chief guest at one of the dinners of the event, Kripalani said this shows the seriousness with which the Belgian government views the conference.
The conference will be inaugurated by Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Belgian Foreign Minister Yves Leterme.
According to India’s ambassador to EU Jaimini Bhagwati, the aim is to have a partnership with the international business community, “where we are looking to provide the demand stemming from an increasingly large number of consumers”.
Regarding investments, he said India does not only have a cost-advantage in certain sections of labour “but we also have a reasonably large group of people who are technically very well qualified”.
Bhagwati noted that countries in Asia had tackled the financial crisis and the economic meltdown reasonably well.
Sunil Prasad, secretary general EICC, stressed: “This is one of the best conferences on EU-India business relations organised in Brussels till now.”
Speakers at the conference include Belgian Economic Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne, well-know diamond merchant Baron Dilip Mehta, Janssen Pharmaceutica chairman Baron Ajit Shetty, member of European parliament Nirj Deva and many others.
Founded in 1907, IMC is a leading chamber of trade, commerce and industry in India. It has been organising the India Calling Business yearly summits since 2004.
