Belgian Economic Mission to India – chapter Mumbai

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 gateway to the European market.

The second stop is Mumbai, the financial capital of India.
 

Wednesday 5 March

While the B2B meetings continue in Mumbai, the official delegation visits Route Mobile Limited, which was acquired by Proximus in 2024. The purchase was a milestone in the company's international expansion and its strategy of development and innovation in digital communication, and consolidated the Proximus Group as a global player. The Indo-Belgian Tech Forum will take place during the visit.

The event will be followed by a visit to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global organisation for IT services, consulting and business solutions and part of the Tata Group, one of the largest conglomerates in India that is present in every conceivable sector, and also since many years in Belgium. The goal is to explore more opportunities for strengthened cooperation with Belgian companies. There is great potential for further investment in Belgium.

Then the priority sector of healthcare and life sciences will be addressed with a seminar on the approach to tackle sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder, and the use of proton therapy to fight cancer (see also Thursday). Here, successful collaborations between Belgian and Indian companies are put in the spotlight and new possibilities for joint projects are explored.

After a signing ceremony, where 14 contracts from the economic and academic sectors are signed, the first day in Mumbai ends with an official meeting with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis.
 

Thursday 6 March

Thursday kicks off with a seminar on European market access, followed by a visit to a proton therapy centre that uses technology from the Belgian company Ion Beam Applications (IBA), where patients receive advanced proton therapy treatment at one of the lowest costs in the world, with free treatment for those in need. A seminar on labour migration concludes the morning.

Over lunch, the Belgian delegation will visit a John Cockerill India site, specialising in cold rolling technologies for steel and the supply of world-class equipment and services.

Three seminars are scheduled for the afternoon, each organised by one of the regions: on the industrial decarbonisation of steel and the global hydrogen supply chain (FIT); the India-Belgium Impact Forum, where charities and projects with a positive impact are put in the spotlight (hub.brussels); and an event on how Belgian innovative processes in steel production can help India strengthen its position as a major steel producer worldwide (AWEX).

The long day will conclude with a gala event organised by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, which will build on the strong foundation that the port has built up in India over the years and put the spotlight on Belgium as a whole.
 

Friday 7 March

The last day of the Belgian economic mission to India starts with a breakfast where Belgian companies showcase their success stories in the local market. The event will be followed by an interactive panel discussion led by experts from the sector, who will bring the expertise of the Belgian logistics sector to the attention of Indian exporters and investors. An official meeting with C. P. Radhakrishnan, the Governor of Maharashtra, will conclude the morning programme.

During an investment lunch, Belgium's assets are promoted to potential Indian investors and a general presentation is given of Belgium as an attractive destination for direct foreign investments.

In the afternoon, the delegation visits the dredging vessel Congo River of world leader DEME. DEME is very active in India with its subsidiary International Seaport Dredging, which is involved in the maintenance and development of ports and waterways and land reclamation projects. During the visit, the cooperation between Port of Antwerp-Bruges International/Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center (PoABI/APEC) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India's largest port, is also celebrated.

Traditionally, the Belgian economic mission concludes with an informal press briefing where Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid and the accompanying ministers, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot and Minister-President of the Flemish Government Matthias Diependaele, will give a general debriefing of the mission and answer questions from the Belgian press.