By EuAsiaNews,
New Delhi : A European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) will start to operate in New Delhi from 1 October, following the signature Thursday of the financing contract between Daniele Smadja, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to India and Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General of Eurochambres.
The creation of the Centre has been endorsed by EU-India leaders last year during their yearly Summit in New Delhi.
“The objective of the European Commission in launching the Centre is clear,” said Ambassador Smadja, according to a press release by the Delegation of the European Commission to India .
“We expect it to foster links between European and Indian businesses as well as between Science and Technology actors with the view to promote the EU with an interest in India and respond to the demands of the Indian market. Through this Centre we are committed to promote sustainable clean technologies in India,'” she noted.
A consortium led by Eurochambres has been selected to operate the EBTC; its operations will be entirely demand driven.
The initial budget of the Centre is over 8 million euro, 80% of which is coming from the EU budget.
Another 5 million euro is expected from the EU budget in the months to come.
“The ambition of Eurochambres’ consortium ,” said Abruzzini ” is to develop a Centre that will become THE reference point for promoting European clean technologies in India, and will be recognised for the quality of its services, its knowledge of the Indian market and its capacity to reach out to the entire European business and research community”.
The EBTC will primarily focus on sectors such as environment, transport, energy and biotechnology .