The first India Week Hamburg was held in 2007. 2008’s was held from November 9 to 16. And despite the economic turndown, a third event is planned for later this year.
The northern city-state of Hamburg is long established as a successful port and mercantile centre. For many decades, goods and raw materials- including tea, spices and carpets- were shipped from Asia to the duty free warehouses of Hamburg’s Speicherstadt (Warehouse City). A remarkable ninety-nine per cent of imports from the Subcontinent enter Germany here.
And, despite the global financial and economic crisis, politicians and business people believe that relationships and economic ties can be strengthened.
"There are about 620 Hamburg companies engaged in activities in India and some 35 Indian companies have offices or representative agents in the metropolitan region of Hamburg. That is a small indicator of the important role that Hamburg can play in the relations between India and Germany," said Hamburg’s mayor, Ole von Beust, at a reception during the 2008 India Week Hamburg.
Indian Politicians and Business Representatives Visit Hamburg
India’s Ambassador to Germany, Meera Shankar, and the Governor of Delhi, Tejendra Khanna, were among the guests of honour under the chandeliers of the Hamburg Rathaus (town hall) great hall. They too talked of looking to develop economic and cultural ties via India Week Hamburg.
Delhi, along with Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bangalore, hosted a delegation of 30 representatives from Hamburg in October 2008. Axel Gedaschko, the Senator (Minister) for Economic Affairs, led the group, keen to explore business opportunities. "We would very much like it if Indian companies were to say, ‘Hamburg is an interesting location’ and consider it as their gateway to Europe," said Mr Gedaschko.
"We want investors, to invest capital so that our economy can grow further. We are open to the world, open-minded, we been a trading city for centuries. It is important that companies feel good when they set up here, and feel welcome. People here are open and well-qualified. This is the boom region of Germany. Most cities are shrinking but Hamburg is growing, creating the most jobs and showing the strongest economic growth," he added.
Mr Gedaschko also explained that Hamburg is willing to provide expertise so that Indian ports develop, as that would create a win-win situation: "We are interested that ports function well. We live from trade, so need functioning ports around the world. It is important to us that Indian import and export trade grows, because we will be the main European partner. It is too expensive to trade with small ships to small ports: that’s just not economical. Our major economic interest relates to being a trading partner."
And the minister was also keen to discuss his city’s expertise in the renewable energy, aeronautics and logistics sectors. Experts from Hamburg are already liaising with their counterparts in Delhi, their aim being to improve traffic flow. And discussions were recently held with the Minister President of Haryana, relating to waste-water management and improvements in water provisioning.
India Week Hamburg 2008
Representatives from companies such as Advinus Therapeutics, Claris Life Sciences and ICICI Knowledge Park were among delegates who visited the Hanseatic India Colloquium, a conference on healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceutical science held in the distinctive Chilehaus, an Expressionist brick office building, built in the 1920s.
Another city showpiece is the Airbus plant, which employs more than 10,000 people. Delegates were invited there for a conference relating to technology in aviation, aerospace and shipping. The sheer size of the plant and quiet industriousness along the moving production line, on which it takes five days to construct a fuselage, is impressive.
India's Expanding Aeronautics Market
India is an expanding aeronautics market. Air India placed an order with Airbus for 43 A320 aircraft in 2006 and several Airbus employees have experience of working in Bangalore through the company’s job rotation policy.
The industrial and commercial aspects of the 2008 India Week Hamburg were balanced by a cultural programme which included panel discussions, readings, concerts, dance performances and cinema. One of the highlights was provided by Trilok Gurtu, the Mumbai-born percussionist, who performed with his band in the packed lecture hall of the Museum of Ethnology.
The 2009 India Week Hamburg is scheduled for October 24 to November 1.
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