The Council of EU Chambers of Commerce in India (EU Chambers) has organized 25th Annual General Meeting on 27th September  2017 followed by the 25th Year Celebration of the EU Chambers.at the Crystal Room, The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai

 On the occasion the Panel Discussion on “EU PARTNERSHIP IN INDIA’S GROWTH” was organized and was attended by Council’s members, Governing Board Members, Past Presidents, EU & non EU Diplomats, industrialists and bureaucrats.

Mr Chandramowli Srinivasan, President of The Council of EU Chambers of Commerce in India welcomed all present at the 25th Anniversary Celebration. He especially thanked the esteemed panelists Mr. Shishir Joshipura- Managing Director, SKF Ltd., Mr. Sunil Mathur, Managing Director, Siemens Ltd., Mr. Robin Banerjee, Managing Director, Caprihans India Ltd., Mr. Hitendra Dave, Managing Director, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corp and moderator Mr. Sudhir Kapadia, Partner & National Tax Leader, Ernst & Young India.

He also thanked Chief Guest Mr. Suresh P Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce, Government of India and Guest of Honour Mr Subhash R Desai, Hon’ble Industry & Mining Minister, Government of Maharashtra.

Mr Chandramowli briefly highlighted the multifarious activities of The Council of EU Chambers of Commerce in India as one of the foremost trade promotion organizations in India established in 1992 to promote, foster and extend commercial and economic relations between India and the EU.  Since its inception, the Chamber has grown in its reach & has expanded extensively and is committed to continue promoting relations and partnerships between the EU and India.

The Chamber’s primary promoters consist of European Bi National Chambers and European Bi National Business committees and its Chief Patron is H. E Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski.

The membership of the Chamber includes representation from several industry sectors – such as banking & financial, infrastructure, automobiles, Pharmaceuticals, electrical and engineering, shipping and logistics, consultancy, IT,  Energy, Agricultural products etc.

Infact every industry is represented in our membership consists of both SMEs and large organizations, with SMEs contributing to about 60% of our membership. Our services to our members include dissemination of information, networking opportunities, thought leadership conferences, workshops, seminars. And, arranging visits of Indian companies to the EU, assisting them to enter European markets.

He said the Council has undertaken a number of important activities, which has helped in building the relations between the two regions even further.

The Council has played a pivotal role in assisting its Member Companies to promote trade relations between India and EU. It has successfully provided its members a platform to carry out Business Activities in terms of arranging visits of delegation of Indian companies to Europe and hosting delegations from the European Region, organizing thought leadership conferences, seminars, workshops and facilitating information exchange between Indian & European Companies.

It has been an honour and a privilege for me to serve as the President of the Council for the year 2015-2017 and to lead the Council in playing a key role in enhancing the Bi-lateral relations between India and EU.

Apart from its regular activities, the Council has conducted several events this year with the aim to enhance the ties between EU and India such as:

Interactive Meeting with H.E. Milan Hovorka, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to India, Interactive meeting with the visiting Delegation specialized in Nuclear Energy from Czech Republic, Interactive Meeting with Ms. Sandra Bukane, Investment Adviser to the CEO, Freeport of Ventspils Author, France, Exhibition of New Homelands Indian Diaspora in the EU, EU Delegation meeting with EU Chamber representatives and Bilateral Chambers, Delegation of European Parliament, Presentation & Panel Discussion on Impact of Union Budget 2017, Europe Day Celebrations in association with The Delegation of the European Union to India. We were indeed privileged to have Mrs. Sujata Saunik (IAS), Principal Secretary of Financial Reform in Maharashtra as Guest of Honour and Very Special Guest of Honour H.E Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador, European Union to India. The event was attended by many European companies, EU Diplomats & Non EU Diplomats, Government Officials and Indian Companies. The event was followed by EU cultural programme, Business Delegation to Baltic & Scandinavia Latvia, Denmark & Sweden, Regular meetings with various EU Ambassadors and Consul Generals, Panel Discussion on Impact of GST at the Whistling Meadows Lawns and Resort, Ahmedabad

Now, coming to the topic of today’s Panel Discussion ‘EU PARTNERSHIP IN INDIA’S GROWTH’

In this context, emerging topics are-

  • Partnership with EU crucial for boosting India’s sustainable growth.
  • Europe is India’s biggest trading partner. India is projected to be the third largest economy $7trn (as compared to $2.26 trn in 2016) by 2028.
  • India offer huge business opportunities to EU business community.
  • Indian businesses meanwhile are becoming more responsible. 26% more firms published business responsibility reports and 11% more companies published sustainability reports in FY16 than in FY15.

I believe today’s enlightened gathering here is acknowledgment of the strategic importance of the topic. I am sure that the galaxy of eminent speakers will enlighten us with their perspective and vision.

On behalf of Governing Board and myself, I must place on record that the Council has received immense support from EU Ambassador to India H.E. Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador, European Union to India & his office, other EU Embassies and Consul General’s Offices of EU member states at Delhi and Mumbai.

I would also like to thank and express my sincere appreciation to all the Board Members and other member companies for extending their support and cooperation during my Presidentship.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the good work done by our Secretariat led by our dynamic Director Dr. Renu Shome. I have no doubt, in the coming years Council will scale even greater heights, thus further cementing better trade relations with the EU member nations.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Sudhir Kapadia, Partner & National Tax Leader, Ernst & Young India

We can talk about the specific opportunities for the EU based multinationals in India growth story and also from a banker and a macroeconomic point of view discuss some immediate interesting developments which you all know is making the rounds in the last recent time. So will try and cover as much as we can.

To start with Sunil as Siemens has been in India for many years in India seen India before independence, post-independence with recent developments, opportunities and announcement by government how do you see an opportunities in future

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Sunil Mathur, Managing Director, Siemens Ltd.

Siemens has been in this country for over 150 years. In fact the first telegraph line in the world was drawn between Kolkata and London by Siemens. So this was back in 1847 and since then Siemens has been present in the country. So we have been around for a long time and we have a very long view in this country. Today we have 22 factories and are doing close to as a group almost for a half 5 billion Euros a business. So we are in a lot of businesses ranging from power generation, transmission and right through to factory automation and so on. Now the change that have emerged are almost very welcome and I think the last 2 or 3 years has shown a very clear discussing a little before the panel discussion. The structural reforms that have come out that are definitely welcome and I think it is now for the economy to get back up and start rowing. But is gives a lot of confidence to many international companies when you come in and start having predictable environment and I think that is one of the first things a lot of it also a taxation.

So overall we are very very positive being a part of the EU in Germany we have actually a lot of EU related collaborations just this morning we have announced a merger between Siemens and Alstom and that is probably the largest merger in the European Union between France and Germany. We have another merged with Gamesa which is Germany and Spain. So you are seeing that slowly European Union based companies are now coming together and are offering businesses here in India. It is to build scale and it is to provide alternatives for technology to different customers around the world. So that you don’t have only pockets happening around and it is to bring a whole lot of knowledge and knowhow which the EU itself possess in technology, in quality, in training, in industry which we can definitely work on here in India. I think if India has to grow and as to grow beyond 7 ½ percent one of the prime needs of the country is power and this is something where the power sector in the country really has got to move much further. So that is definitely one segment and the other is infrastructure in terms of cities, urbanization in cities is a huge issue and the Governments programme of 100 smart cities is a visionary programme. The third is of course the railways and that’s what binds the country together. It is a situation that needs to be upgraded needs a latest technologies and so if you ask me that those would be my top three.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Robin Banerjee, Managing Director, Caprihans India Ltd.

Good evening ladies & Gentlemen! My question is not in technology, I think the question is one economics and economy. India EU or EU India trade makes a lot of noise. In fact next month in October there is India EU summit. I sometimes wonder as to why the two trade hasn’t been growing much. As you all know as it was announced that for India EU as a group is a largest single business partner but from the EU point of view India is the 9th in the stacking order which means for EU India is not as important but for us EU is very important. And therefore, what is it that is effective that trade and commerce between the two regions is very common and similar both do believe in democracy and democracy values both are multicultural, multi-linguistic and both suffers from terrorism, threats and both suffer from people from other countries which is nothing else but are refugee  problems.

What is it effects the two or three things to my mind, one India has been doing and been carrying out one and one relationship. India has a very strong relationship with Germany, with France and with UK. UK because of the historical reasons we were under them. France just as you know few months back India bought 8 billion dollars of Rafale fighters and Germany listed better even the Ganga river is going to be cleaned by the German technology. And when there is one on one approach, I think EU as a group which is 28 of them together misses the opportunity that you would like it or not India is a fastest growing country in the world given the last one quarter which we need not talk about. So therefore, we are not as a two regions working together to make things better.

This is one reason the second reason because of the lack of time I would not go too many is since 2007 last 10 years India and EU had been trying to sign an agreement called FTA which is called Free Trade Agreement and this Free Trade Agreement there has been 16 seating’s and yet they are saying we shall have the 17th one next month and everything will be fine. Ladies and Gentlemen let me tell you this agreement will never be signed why? What does EU want? EU wants that their cars to be imported into India at a lower import duty, the wines and alcohol should be given almost zero or low import duty. What does India want? India wants its engineers and employees and people to work freely in the EU because of the IT and therefore that the visa regime should go away and free exchange of people. What does it mean, if the cars and wines and alcohol is imported at a lower import duty what happens to the Indian businesses, Indian businesses will not going to allow and what happens when the Indian IT people working in Germany, France, Spain , Portugal what happens to the local employment which perhaps be not allowed to be either. And therefore given the fact that we are focusing the two regions are focussing on signing a FTA and not trying to handle the whole issue of imports exports, exchange of ideas between the two is perhaps hampering. So what is to be done?

My view rather than focus on FTA we should focus on two things one is one the security and terrorism which is a huge business and no. 2 is cybercrime. The cybercrime is one area where these two regions can worked very very closely because ladies and gentlemen believe me the biggest threat that mankind today has is water but in terms of crime is cybercrime and I think these two nations can do a great job in making things happen and that my in summary take on what happening in EU and India.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Shishir Joshipura, Managing Director, SKF India Ltd.

Good evening! I think the three areas which Mr. Mathur has mentioned are very clearly the front runners the infrastructural organization, railways. I think there are couple of more than we can add on the services side of the sector one is the IT services out of India and into India and I think there is a whole a lot of scope that exists for education sector and I think there is one sector which is really well fast growing in India but we are not so much focus on quality today and is more quantities and I think there is a lot more qualitative inputs that would come from the European institutions into India and that’s another area that we can look at.

Very clearly in many ways most of the European countries have already gone past the curve on where our economy is today. So they have already and I think in many ways the European Union through its technology, through its experience sharing can actually help India leapfrog on that curve in a very positive and constructive manner. That’s where I see a good cooperation happening because I think a building a point that Mr. Banerjee mentioned is very important that both the European Union and India and its political leadership as well as the business leadership focuses on creating a higher common value together. I think that’s what will help us to propel both cooperation into a better way as well as really provide both European Union and India good markets for future as well as very solid base for future.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Hitendra Dave- Managing Director, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation

May be I just start off with the slightly bigger picture so that you know when we say the session is around EU Partnership in India’s Growth? What exactly are we talking about as business people looking forward five years, 10 years may be even longer in some cases? So just to put into context India’s GDP today is about 2.2 or 2.3 trillion dollars odd. We crossed a trillion dollar in somewhere in the first decade of this century. So we got to a trillion dollar from the time India came into being. Somewhere 12-13 years back or so we made the next trillion in the last 10-12 years or so and at this juncture looks like and typically it tends to pick up speed every whether its US whether it is Germany in Europe or UK or Japan or China. Once you start crossing 2- 2 ½ the distribution of income starts becoming such and you see some of the policy measures in India. We are talking earlier about the demonization, GST and it has its consequences and we will I am sure will discuss at some stage, but what it is all about is the next round of GDP grown would be much more distributed highlight that because there is a sense that we will hit as a country GDP of about 5 trillion dollars in somewhere between the next 10 years to 15 years or so.

Now why that is critical is that once any economy hits 5 trillion dollars of GDP the demand for every goods and services will not double. It will have a non-linear increase and that’s what excite global boards, that what excites global investors, that’s what excites people like us at HSBC that there is an economy where for everything in next 10-15 years you gonna have a non-linear rate of growth whether it is number of credit cards, simple product where it is number of people using mobile phones. Mobile phones may not increase so much now but power, people using airlines things of that nature. I think that’s one part you are looking at an economy in next 10 years which will have demand which will more than the double while GDP only doubles. I think the other thing to note is that it’s a very domestic economy where you won’t find too many economies of this size where some of the exports plus imports is a fraction of GDP most economies tend to be having a significant chunk of their growth on the back of global demand.

And since global demand is not in our control by the looks of its going to take a long time to get a global demand back on its strong feet or on its own feet you have a situation where people are investing in India is one of the few pockets where demand will be locally generated. I think the third thing to highlight is that which again goes back to this whole tax distribution issue is that our tax to GDP ratio is about 15 percent so if there are global investors there are the once that we have to speak to. I think there is one thing to trace when it comes to what will happen to India in the next 10-20 years. I only point them to tax to GDP if you see them increasing if you see them increasing at the rate of 1% per year India will see as a dramatically different country in very much within our lifetime. Even if it is very difficult to believe because we sowed this for a very very long time.

I think just coming to the India EU part before I quit back. I would like to highlight here is one of the most balanced partnerships so if you see in a world where trade imbalances are causing political tensions or even geopolitical tensions or differences at sovereign level and I think this is one sector where exports and imports broadly is split equally which is great so therefore both side see the upside of continue to partner in this.

I think the other thing is in terms of FDI mean the other 350 odd billion dollars of FDI that coming to the country since the start of this century roughly I think 7th has come from EU and this I am excluding UK right now. So it just tells you that the EU is a significant partner in India’s growth and I completely agree to the point that the reverse side it will be sectors like IT, IT enable services which will clearly play that and pockets of India’s industrial strength pharmaceuticals, automotive and we are seeing that and we are partnering many of these and my senses will see a lot more as some of the balance sheet challenges get addressed in the coming few months and weeks.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Sunil Mathur, Managing Director, Siemens Ltd.

I got a long thought, so if you listen to the Prime Minister vision he is talking about Make in India. Now let me now just try and translate that the way I view it in perspective to what Mr. Dave has said and what Mr. Joshipura has outlined. What is that really mean he is talking about Make in India which means convert manufacturing in India from 15% of GDP to 25% of GDP clear statement. Today GDP as Mr. Dave mentioned is 2 trillion, lets say it does go to 5 trillion in 10-15 years, 25% of the 5 trillion is 1.25 trillion so what is that mean 15% of 2 trillion today is 300 billion we will go from manufacturing contribution to GDP from 300 billion to 1.25 trillion 1.3 trillion that is 1 trillion additional contribution to GDP through manufacturing alone. Now this is contribution to GDP flip that back what is that mean to manufacturing capex 1 trillion of contribution to GDP means at least 2 ½ to 3 trillion of capex.

There is no other country in the world that is thinking 2 ½ trillion dollars of capex in next 10 to 15 years. So what is happening you will get the entire international community including the EU rushing into India to get a part of that pie. When we are talking about manufacturing what is already happening in the EU. The EU, France, Germany is leading right now a couple of  other countries in the EU are leaders in the industry 4.0 digitalization, digital manufacturing which means greater productivity, greater quality, faster time to market. If you have that you flip that back the labour arbitral we are talking about earlier will no longer be a critical issue which means India will have no other option to go for digital manufacturing industry 4.0 which again is the Prime Minister is talking about. Now if India has to go and start doing digital manufacturing and you are talking about 2 ½ trillion dollars of capex that kind of market is not going to exist in India itself.

So what is India going to have to do, India has to start exporting when you start exporting whom do you compete with you compete with same players that you are importing from and that’s going to be a reality. The only way you can compete with these players internationally is again industry 4.0 digitalisation. So I think that was the long answer to your question which is if you look at one key imperative it is the Make in India which is the right thing to do. It is the impact of manufacturing which will create jobs and it is the digitalisation movement which will ensure that we reach international status. And to link that further which Mr. Joshipura mentioned digitalisation will not have overnight. It requires a huge amount of training so that the question is today what are we doing to get our workforce blue, white and whatever are the colour you called upto that training level and this is where the EU can contribute. The dual vocational educational training programme in the EU have been adopted officially by the Indian Government. And this is where really there is a wonderful partnership that can emerge just in the training area.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Shishir Joshipura, Managing Director, SKF India Ltd.

I think the 4.0 is a revolution that about to happen and usually before the revolution people are almost ignorant whats going to happen and it will be certainly at our doorstep and I think 4.0 is not about just having sensors, computers, cyberspace of course its there very much as the important arm but to my mind 4.0 is also going to force organisations, businesses, community countries to think in a 4.0 way and that is very different than what we think currently. I think the whole thinking of leadership must change to the symbiosis of collaboration rather than competition. We can’t see each other as each other’s competitors and one of the beautiful point which Mr. Mathur made was saying at the end of the day you start making 2 ½ trillion worth of capex in the country once you spend that where do you go.  And I think that’s where the answer lies probably the answer is in better collaboration what is it that I that the EU for India can leverage from each other to create a very very a powerful value that could then drive the overall human society to better level and I think that’s needs to be answer now rather than the narrow whats in it for me my city and my company and my region gains.

That’s needs to be one shift that needs to happen. One of the problems of and I can say that because my company is headquartered in a very very small country. One of the problems that Sweden is faces unlike us is that they don’t have enough engineers and I think we don’t think like this but that’s not the chosen profession that to which a student aspires to go. I talk to my colleagues and say what are your children going to do he said I don’t know may be arts or appreciation of music you know they are in a Social Sciences you know they are at a very different level of actualization the society given they are. If you ask an India parent you know the answer right. Engineer or a doctor, CA and may be of a late couple of more things but all the mothers and father specially the engineering or the medicine stream or whatever it is.

So in terms of ethos I think we are of course we are also 1.3 billion people so that’s a lot of people so even at a fraction if we have to produce engineers, fraction of that number or a medicine science number. I think is a very difference we have the natural resources call it of human beings which are English speaking huge set as a advantage. There is technology, there is innovation, there are many levers that are out in Europe proven and I don’t think we should each of the country should start to reinvent what the other has got. Both will have a very very long and difficult path to that. So I think very important is to create a collaborative atmosphere and I think there is somewhere where Mr. Banerjee said not through one to one tax, but through a common tax and multilateral tax that binds the economy together that probably help us to go forward.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Robin Banerjee, Managing Director, Caprihans India Ltd.

The advantage of speaking later on is very simple because everything has been stated. I have three quick suggestions and have the honour of having our honorable minister in front of me. Two of the suggestions you could perhaps help us to make India EU more powerful one of course is India and EU as I said has been focussing on FTA is Free Trade Agreement to my mind that a long short let’s look at PTA, Preferred Trade Agreement that perhaps would be better than working towards a zero wise duty structure which perhaps will take a long long time. And having said that I have two quick suggestions, India or EU everyone does business because they want to make profit. EU wants to invest in India or wants to make profit, India wants to do something India wants to make profit so what will EU do EU will have to send their engineers, their people to stay in India and share and we have to share and get the technology.

But you have heard and seen in last one week also in newspaper India is one of the most worst countries for an expat to stay. So unless we make the expats comfortable to stay in our country we will never get the best technology and we will never get the best brain to come and teach us. So in technology we need to make them comfortable it’s a bad news when I read in newspaper and I felt very said but that’s true. That’s one things Sir, maybe we can do something together.

The second one is when we have to absorb technology in fact Mr. Mathur has made the point already do we all absorb that technology does our people have the basic skill to adapt the technology our many of us say many engineers passing out the IT colleges perhaps haven’t seen a computer through and through opened up. Sir, let’s make the expats and others come to India and comfortably stay with us and with infrastructure we would deal with it and number two if we could have the skills that would absorb that than the EU and India will be a great region for doing business so called 5 trillion dollars vision which perhaps will be true by next 15 to 20 years.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Hitendra Dave- Managing Director, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation

First of all, I think it is a very real number and it might happen only it might happen sooner rather later. I think we need a lot of money, we need a lot of FDI and I would just say, few low lying fruit is there and I think this whole exercise of doing ease of business I think this whole exercise of doing ease of business I think this whole exercise of doing ease of business I think is a fantastic initiative. Three years into it sometimes we feel you know the progress is not as much I think since we know we have the Minister of our state here I think if each state took upon itself to really say I will beat India index and beat the best in class index and whatever I think if you are a country which needs 1 trillion half a trillio needed what are the aspirations are we will have to be a hospitable country. We will have to be a country makes coming much easier and leaving easier I think that one part and other thing I would say some are working for the multinational companies but are born in India and lived what seems complex to foreigners seems very normal to us what is the problem we will skut  across the road and jump to hoops  and get over there but I think we have to understand that if we are wanting a trillion dollars of international capital and here we are focusing on EU we will have to make our life very simple it should be transparent, predictable even if it is bad laws keep it consistent rather than have good laws converting into bad laws and anything like that. I think simple thing you know road building why would you what NHI is doing today they do not how give out any concession out there unless 95% of the land is acquired. You would have thought that so common sense that it should have been since the day one we wouldn’t be in there problems they we are so things of this nature. I don’t think we need to do any fantastic, I think we just need to do is just pluck the low lying fruit and do it effectively and I hope more competition within state would gather capital.

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Sudhir Kapadia, Partner & National Tax Leader, Ernst & Young India

And that’s an important point you made Mr. Dave sometimes you know and it’s a very lively democracy because sometimes there is so much noise about that the people are looking at favourite term big bang reforms. But as you said once the certain road map has been laid and we talked about three four key priorities of the Government you don’t need more than that actually then the rest of it is in a way the unglamorous but equally or more important part of discipline, execution, stability, certainty and that is why really is required. You don’t need some headline grabbing announcements in a weekly basis in that sense and I think we see that kind of stability coming in because now the Government is not keen to just make one more headline news but the news should be more about actual investments coming in and fructifying and increasing.

Thank you very much, thank you for coming in and thank you for giving in your views much appreciated.

Excerpts from the video message of Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Commerce Minister, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India

I am happy that the 25th Anniversary of The Council of EU Chambers of Commerce in India is being organized and Mr. Chandramowli Srinivasan, as a President leading this new initiative. I know we have a very long relationship with European Union which in a way is a model of peaceful co-existence, mutual cooperation, and mutual benefit by way of working together. Therefore, EU offers a great new idea in the new world that is shaping in the modern times. As we know that in certain countries in EU fought each other.

There had been a long history of acrimony but for mutual benefit for shaping a better future many countries came together small and big large economies as well as very small economies they came together and created one economic block and some of them together created one common currency. They have created a borderless world, there is one Schengen visa regime in south east countries. EU has been a modern example of how to work together. It is one of the largest combined economic force and it is something very getting into Europe means you are actually getting into good part of the global economy and therefore this particular organization has helped to develop relationship between India very significantly. India and EU have very close cooperation and close relationship.  We have summits our Prime Minister has been leading this idea of making EU and India relationship work better and I am very happy that this particular conference will also help the Government efforts to strengthen the relationship with one of the best important block in the world the European Union. So I offer you all the best, congratulations to you. Happy anniversary!

Excerpts from the speech of Mr. Subhash Desai, Industry & Mining Minister Government of Maharashtra

I congratulate EU Chamber of Commerce on this 25th Anniversary. 25 years of journey must have been very exciting and wonderful. Somebody said coming together is beginning, remaining together is progress and working together is achievement. So the Chamber have achieved a great deal. This has been a wonderful experience and Chambers have not only brought their members together but they have motivated them towards growth and progress. Chambers has provided good support to the European industries and business communities. Working in India is exciting but has still has some challenges. But with the help of this chambers the people must have found this journey very comfortable.

We in Maharashtra are equally happy to have such associations and Chambers working around us who always are active in giving valuable suggestions or improving our policies. We have been introducing a few industrial policies over last 3 years and at every step we were happy to get support and concrete suggestions very fruitful inputs from the members of businesses and associations and Chambers. EU Chambers is one of them and therefore, I am sure we will take this cause forward. I congratulate them and thank them for inviting me here and giving me this opportunity to be with you and I wish them a great journey ahead from Silver Jubilee to Golden Jubilee. With these words thank you once again and have a great journey ahead.

Thank you very much!

After the Address by the Guest of Honour six companies which have been associated with the Council of EU Chambers since its inception were acknowledged and presented with the mementoes for their continuous support. Hon’ble Minister felicitated Mr M Y Noorani was felicitated on behalf of Zodiac Ltd., M R K Dalmia on behalf of Century Textile Pvt Ltd,  Mr Hitendra Dave on behalf of was HSBC, Mr Anish Shah, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mr Ranjeev Pandy, Aspinwall Ltd and Mr Prakash Tulsiani, Allcargo Logistics.

Vote of Thanks proposed by Mr. Ameet Nivsarkar, Incoming President, The Council of EU Chambers of Commerce in India

On behalf of the Council of EU Chamber and on my own I thank our Guest of Honour: Mr. Subhash Desai, Honorable Minister for Industries & Mining, Government of Maharashtra to present at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Council of EU Chambers of Commerce in India.

My sincere thanks to our Panelists:

Our Panelists: Mr. Sudhir Kapadia, Partner & National Tax Leader, Ernst & Young India, Mr. Shishir Joshipura, Managing Director, SKF India Ltd., Mr. Sunil Mathur, Managing Director, Siemens Ltd., Mr. Robin Banerjee, Managing Director, Caprihans India Ltd. Mr. Hitendra Dave, Managing Director & Head of Global Banking & Markets, India, The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.

I am happy to inform you that the EU India Chamber has undertaken many programmes in the past year for its members, with the purpose of getting the industry together and sharing its common view with regards to promoting trade and commerce between India and European Union.

Friends, we assure you that the Council will always strive to promote the trade relations between both the regions and undertake many such activities which shall help our members to know about the latest happenings with regards to EU India Trade.or you, this Panel Discussion on “EU PARTNERSHIP IN INDIA’S GROWTH” which is a very topical subject.

I sincerely thank our today’s sponsors to make this event successful as:

  • Allcargo Logistics Ltd.
  • Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
  • SKF India Ltd.
  • EXIM Bank
  • Seahorse Ship Agencies Pvt. Ltd.
  • Tata Consultancy Services
  • Tata Chemicals Ltd.
  • Sri Kaliswari Metal Powders Pvt. Ltd.
  • Union Bank of India
  • Roedl & Partner Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
  • United Breweries Ltd.
  • Red Bull India Pvt. Ltd.

Finally, he placed on record the exemplary work that Council’s Secretariat – led by Director Dr. Renu Shome and her team have done. On behalf of the Governing board & on his behalf, he expressed sincere appreciation for their stupendous efforts.

 Ladies and Gentleman, once again I would like to thank all of you for gracing the occasion and hope you will enjoy the Evening as much as we have enjoyed putting it up for you.