By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : About 300 businessmen, entrepreneurs as well as government officials from the European Union and India will meet in Brussels for three days (Sept 30-Oct 2) to debate and discuss how to expand and boost trade and commercial ties between the two sides.
“We believe we are bringing in our plate opportunities worth approximately 20 billion euros 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’ to be held in three different five-star hotels is organised by IMC in association 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 has taken this conference.
EU-India trade exchanges are currently valued at 75 billion euros annually.
India’s ambassador to EU, Jaimini Bhagwati said our aim is to have a partnership with the international community, business and government, where we are looking to provide the demand which is needed in the international markets stemming form 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 have withered the financial crisis and the economic meltdown reasonably well.
The conference will be inaugurated by the minister for overseas Indian affairs, Vaylar Ravi and Belgian foreign minister Yves Leterme.
Sunil Prasad, Secretary General EICC, stressed that “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, chairman Janssen Pharmaceutica 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 organizing the India Calling Business yearly Summits from 2004.