Mr Guzder,

Mr Steinrücke,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to welcome you to our lunch together on this beautiful day, and to our exchange of views. 

The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has always enjoyed close relations with India. This year, India was the host country of the 823rd Hafengeburtstag, the traditional anniversary of the port of Hamburg; at the same time the celebrations opened the Year of India in Germany, when Hamburg was also honoured to receive a visit from the Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma. 

The new Mahatma Gandhi Bridge” in Hamburg’s HafenCity is a very appropriate symbol of these ties, because in German the name of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace, Porbandar, means City Harbour”. That, too, is very fitting for Hamburg and the idea of drawing nations together.

What can I tell you about Hamburg? Our city has almost 1.8 million inhabitants, and the metropolitan region of Hamburg amounts to more than five million, equaling one per cent of all European Union citizens. 2 ½ million urban and suburban professionals have their jobs in the region.

Hamburg and its metropolitan region are quite confident that our economic prospects are good. And the gratifying fact we have established a special relation with your great country makes me all the more happy to present some reasons in favour of even closer cooperation between companies in India and Hamburg. 

And I am talking about industry because we have a lot to offer. Our economy is much more diversified than many people even in Germany are inclined to think. In the South of Germany, that is.

True, Hamburg is well known for being an international trading metropolis. It is the business hub of trade in north-eastern Europe, and the European centre of trade with what we think of as the Far East.

In the first ten years of this century, the foreign trade volume between Hamburg and India has more than tripled. There are 30 Indian companies in Hamburg, and 570 Hamburg companies maintain business relationships with India.

So indeed our port is the region’s powerful locomotive of growth. Hamburg has one of the most modern container terminals in the world and without the port the present economic significance of the whole metropolitan region would be inconceivable. 

The port, however, plays a vital, but not an exclusive role. Hamburg is an important industrial location, too; in fact, it’s one of Europe’s biggest industrial cities. Trade and commerce have a strong industrial base. That is one reason and one of the best, why we view the coming years with confidence.

Industry boasts the technological know-how needed to drive innovation and progress, something that every city needs in order to survive in the competition between states and regions. 

Hamburg’s processing industry is state-of-the-art and internationally competitive, and includes industrial cores such as the aerospace industry, maritime industries, mechanical engineering, the electrical industry, medical technologies, biotechnologies and the food industry, not forgetting steelworks, aluminium mills and copper smelters.

And there is no complacency. Some time ago the Senate joined with people representing Hamburg’s business and academic communities to create the Innovation Alliance Hamburg. The Alliance networks partners in a wide range of fields with future promise. These include; renewable energies, such as fuel cell and wind power technology; materials science; lasers and nanotechnology; marine technology and everything connected with mobility and logistics.

And so innovation is brought to conventional industries - and that is what we need, because Hamburg is in one of Europe’s most economically dynamic regions.

Hamburg’ s cluster policy comprises the fields of logistics, aviation and renewable energy sources, life sciences, the maritime economy, the creative industries and healthcare. We hold a strong position in all of these. The aeronautical industry, for example, employs nearly 40,000 people in the metropolitan region.

Hamburg is, in fact, the biggest German centre of civil aviation and ranks number three in the world.

The aviation industry is one of the engines driving the global economy. The aviation boom especially benefits Hamburg as home to many firms in the sector. The aeronautical industry pioneers innovative materials and processes. It therefore plays a key role in guaranteeing the future of high-tech in Germany.

The energy industry is another major issue. As you know, Germany decided last year to gradually abandon the use of nuclear power. In Hamburg, as elsewhere, the question of how to make better use of renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly important. This has considerable environmental and economic significance for us, and there I see interesting possibilities of closer cooperation with Indian companies.

It is true that fossil fuels will continue to play an important role in the coming years and decades. But we will need to use them as sparingly and efficiently as possible, not least for the sake of climate protection. 

Northern Germany is already a centre for the development of cleaner energy. The region has its fair share of wind sometimes more than we would like, in fact. We are proud to be not only the capital of wind energy, but also a pioneer in storage and the transition to sustainable energy.

The region has been able to attract a number of major companies, especially for wind energy. This, of course, is partly due to the growth of the off-shore wind energy sector. Some of the companies will be well-known over here.

Incidentally, most headquarters of wind energy companies in Germany and the European Union, maybe even worldwide are located in Hamburg.

India, that large, populous, multi-ethnic country, an important member of BRICS, has long since been anchored in our minds as an economic power, especially as the land of high tech”. Everyone in Hamburg knows Arcelor Mittal. And Suzlon Energy. After all, that company has helped to make it possible for Hamburg to earn its reputation as the capital of wind energy in Germany.

More and more relevant Indian investments are taking place in Hamburg. Tata Consultancy Services have to be mentioned here, and a significant number of others.

India is a key economic power, both regionally and internationally. We know that the country is looking to expand its industrial production and diversify its exports. Hamburg will not blame you.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

India and Germany, and this is my unshakable opinion, are determined to expand and extend their cultural as well as economic and trade relations. That will be mutually beneficial.

While Europe suffers an economic crisis, Asia and many pacific countries represent a very dynamic economic region.

I would also make the following claim: there is no better place in Germany where the dynamics of the business relations between our two countries are more apparent than in Hamburg.

So let us work together and prove this. 

Thank you.

The spoken word applies.