IT Summit in 2012 in Trivandrum

Enlarge image German Consul General Dr. Karsten at IT summit (© German Consulate General, Bangalore) Mr. V K Mathews,

Mr. Varghese,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to address the distinguished participants of the India IT Summit 2012 on “Business strategies for Non-Linear Growth”  in Trivandrum. I am particularly pleased because it is already my second visit to Kerala’s capital which is located in such a beautiful environment. I remember the interesting discussions with representatives of several IT companies which gave me an inspiring insight on the strong momentum of IT business developments in Kerala and the role India plays in the world of IT technologies.

Information and communication technologies know no national borders. Therefore, the German government's ICT policy places a top priority on cooperation with our partners in Europe and other key regions of the world, like India.

India has become one of the world top players in IT. Indian companies like Infosys, Wipro and others have become synonyms for cutting edge technological developments. German enterprises from all sectors are seeking the services from Indian IT companies to streamline their operations and to develop new integrated business processes. I myself got to know how closely IBS, ACIS Allianz, and medium sized companies like Palnar cooperate with their German partners.

Our governments, too, have agreed during last year’s governmental consultations to expand their cooperation in information and communication technologies, among other fields. Both countries can enormously benefit by using each other’s comparative advantages.

Governments play an important role in shaping the digital future.  The Government of Kerala has done a lot to foster the IT industry in Kerala.  Information and communication technologies (ICT) in Germany are of utmost significance for the German economy and society.  The Federal Government is therefore implementing a strategy for the digital future of Germany.

Like in India, information and communication technologies (ICT) are a decisive force in the German economy. They contribute more to value creation than the classic technologies of automotive and mechanical engineering, both as a sector unto themselves and as a form of technology that cuts across most other economic sectors. As the key to an increasingly knowledge-based economy, information and communication technologies help to accelerate growth throughout numerous sectors. At present, these technologies account for roughly 40% of overall economic growth.

With an annual business volume of approximately €150 billion, the ICT sector is one of the largest economic sectors in Germany. ICT is the second biggest employer after the manufacturing industry, even before the automotive and the electronics industries. Almost 850,000 people are employed in the ICT sector itself, and an additional 650,000 ICT specialists are employed in user sectors. Because it is growing at a substantially faster rate than the overall economy, the ICT sector is clearly one of the main engines of economic growth in our country.

Modern ICT in traditional sectors, such as energy, transport, health, education, leisure, tourism and administration, not only afford new opportunities but also pose new challenges, especially in data protection. This is why the Federal Government has developed a new ICT strategy for the digital future of Germany.

The ICT strategy, called Digital Germany 2015, sets out the priorities, tasks and projects for the period up to 2015. It aims to do the following:

-Strengthen competitiveness through the use of ICT in all segments of the economic process

-Expand digital infrastructure and networks to meet future challenges

-Safeguard the protected and personal rights of users in the future Internet and in the use of new media

-Step up research and development in the ICT sector and speed up the translation of R&D findings into marketable products and services

-Strengthen basic, further and continuing education and training and competencies in handling new media

-Make consistent use of ICT to cope with social problems, including sustainability and climate protection, health, mobility, administration and the improvement of the quality of life of citizens

As Germany is the biggest economy in Europe let me briefly touch on recent developments in Europe. India and the EU, as the largest democracies in the world, share common values and beliefs that make them natural partners as well as factors of stability in the present world order. We share a common commitment to democracy, pluralism, human rights and the rule of law.

The recent Brussels summit and the decisions made with respect to a fiscal compact have set the scene for a new Europe. The vision of a political union in Europe is taking shape. The German government is convinced that Germany and Europe will emerge stronger and more sustainable from the worst crisis of its history. The euro-zone states will proceed to remedy the structural shortcomings in the economic and currency union. As our Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel clearly states: there is no swift and easy solution –it is an ongoing process that may take years. But, the euro-zone states have made the necessary decisions within the European Union.

I am quite optimistic that the national debt issues in some countries of the Euro-zone will not have significant negative repercussions on trade and business between Germany and India, most of all not in the field of ICT.  Let me stress that Euro-zone states have made the necessary decisions to remain a viable and trust-worthy partner to India.

I would therefore strongly invite you to explore business opportunities with German and European business companies. Germany is India’s largest European trade partner and also a role model in technology and industry, especially German medium-sized business. Germany’s growth rate in 2011 was 3 per cent and well above the European average. I believe that there are tremendous cooperation opportunities with Indian medium-sized business companies. I know that some German companies are already partners with Indian companies here in Kerala but I believe that there is still more of untapped potential for closer cooperation. India remains the growth engine in IT and has become an important strategic partner for German and European companies in high tech areas, like IT services and software.

Our new Consulate General in Bangalore is promoting business cooperation between Germany and South India. To this purpose the Consulate has started on September 15, 2011a fully fledged visa section. That should facilitate your business and travel plans with Germany. For you it may be interesting to know that after 4 months of operations more than 90 percent of our long-term visa are granted to Indian IT experts. The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce in Bangalore has also established a committee in charge of South -West India including Kerala. Specifically, I envisage to bring a delegation of representatives of German companies to Kerala and to explore further business opportunities. We hope to visit Kerala at a suitable date for the government and the business sector.

Kerala is mainly known in Germany as a beautiful tourist destination with many cultural and scenic sites. However, having the biggest IT park in India here in Trivandrum it also deserves to be considered in more detail by German companies as a first class business location where they can find strong business partners with highly educated staff.  I believe that Kerala holds  great promise for German companies. Let us tap this potential together. Germany is a strong partner to India, particularly in technology. We can bundle our strengths to benefit us both.

Thank you for your kind attention!