Belgian economic mission to India

From 1 to 8 March, Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium will lead an economic mission to India as the Representative of His Majesty the King. A large delegation from various sectors and from the three regions will travel to New Delhi and Mumbai to strengthen Belgium's image as an attractive partner and a gateway to the European market.

India is an important player on the world stage and a crucial partner for Belgium in terms of economic and commercial diversification. In the current context of radical geopolitical changes, the Indo-Pacific region is gaining in strategic importance. This is also evident from the visit of the College of European Commissioners to India, which will take place on 27 and 28 February. The visit emphasises the importance of strengthening ties in key areas that are vital to the prosperity and security of Belgium, Europe and India.

India is the fifth largest economy in the world and enjoys sustained economic growth, a gigantic internal market and a growing middle class. The subcontinent has the largest population in the world and is rich in thousands of ethnic groups and hundreds of languages. India is among the top five countries for greenfield projects. New Delhi and Mumbai were chosen as destinations for this Belgian economic mission because of economic and institutional reasons.

A growing number of Belgian companies are focussing on India, both in more traditional sectors (chemicals, machinery, food and beverages) and in more strategic sectors, including pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, defence and aerospace technology. A sustainable dialogue with India is needed to actively promote the interests of our companies.
 

Official delegation, participants and sectors

Princess Astrid will be accompanied by a ministerial delegation consisting of Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation; Theo Francken, Minister of Defence, responsible for Foreign Trade; and Matthias Diependaele, Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation and Industry, Foreign Affairs, Digitalisation and Facility Management.

The official delegation will be accompanied by some 330 participants from the economic, financial, academic and political worlds. This economic mission will offer Belgian companies a unique opportunity to forge new ties and strengthen existing relationships.

The extensive programme includes meetings with local companies (‘B2B’) and research institutions, participation in high-level cross-sectoral seminars and a series of visits to some important Belgian companies already present in India and their local partners.

The sectors that will be discussed during this Belgian economic mission are climate and renewable energy; healthcare and life sciences; (eco-)construction; transport and logistics; aerospace and defence; and decarbonisation of steel.
 

Organisation

The Belgian economic missions are jointly organised by the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency and the three regional agencies responsible for promoting trade and investment: Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), Brussels Invest & Export (hub.brussels), Agence Wallonne à l'Exportation et aux Investissements étrangers (Awex).
 

Bilateral relations

Belgium and India have long-standing historical ties. As early as the beginning of the 18th century, Ostend's trading ships were already calling at the Indian coast. A month after India's independence in 1947, Belgium established diplomatic relations, making it one of the first countries to do so.

Diamonds remain a cornerstone of the economic relationship, but in recent years strong growth has been visible in various other sectors. This mission aspires to highlight Belgium's expertise in the industries of the future and is aimed at emphasising and further deepening the ties at the economic, political and scientific levels.
 

Official meetings

During the mission, Princess Astrid and the accompanying ministers will also have official meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of Trade and Industry Piyush Goyal, Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, and Governor of Maharashtra C. P. Radhakrishnan.