The sun, heat, just the right amount of humidity. Greenery and the sounds of birds that call from trees along the streets. I’m getting reading for the trip to the airport and the move to Chennai. It is a city in the south, a centre of one of the largest states inIndia, Tala. Our goal is the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, to visit their parliament and their prime minister.
My feeling is that people are full of optimism, even though they have many unanswered questions; even though they are faced with ensuring access to food and electricity, and for many even a roof over their heads. India, which lives its own form of democracy, has neighbours that give her pause for thought: Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Daily we hear about these countries in Europe.
Our work on Tuesday was aimed at developing bilateral relations in trade and development. Already in 2008, the European Commission set up the ‘European Business and Technology Centre’ in Delhi as a public-private partnership. A part of the funds was given by development institutes and chambers of commerce of such countries as Germany, Denmark, Sweden, while the rest of the funds came from the EU. The centre employs a team of specialists in marketing, energy, environment, biotechnology and transportation. The entire infrastructure is present for enterprises who want to first find partners and then business in India. Since India has an inordinate amount of energy demand and large supplies of coal, Slovenian expertise in the field of clean coal technologies could be very welcome. Likewise, this area is interesting for our research institutes and companies in the field of hydro and solar energy, and waste utilization for energy purposes. This centre is a model platform for supporting all European companies wishing to enter the Indian market, including small and medium sized enterprises. The result can already be seen in the first contracts with one of the more interesting ones being a French company that installs water treatment devices into polluted lakes and at the same time covers them with their own solar panels. However, it is necessary to understand the market as Indian, consistent with its own expectations. This includes the simplification of our at times too complicated technologies, a very competitive price and infinite tolerance and perseverance. Later we also met with the Central Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the largest companies. Only these support the agreement with Europe that would allow freer trade between the EU and India, but with many restrictions. They realize that their industry is under-developed, but they want development and also to prevent serious shocks in the market. As one could understand it, the voice of business is greatly heard in their politics. This was also confirmed by the ambassadors of the Member States, with which we met. We gathered in one place in the middle of India, representing almost all of the Member States. There were no obstacles with language, nor with that fact that this was the first time we met. We all knew that as a united Europe, we are stronger and safer. Sir Graham, heading our delegation, stressed that we know how to appreciateEuropemore when looking at it from outside.
The evening was marked by a meeting with a group of members of the Indian Parliament, who were also representatives of their 28 states. Although they speak different languages, they use Hindi to communicate, with the majority also speaking English. I had the opportunity to present Slovenia in Europe as a land of health and tourism, and as a land of successful niche businesses. I did not discuss our problems, as they should be solved under our own roof. This was the first interparliamentary meeting between the EU andIndia, which has as a background a serious political will for closer cooperation in the economy, environment and the protection of human rights.
Fellow Members, who have been in politics for decades, have the ability to talk with immense feelings towards a different cultural environment. Day after day, I have the opportunity to learn something new. All of the useful information, I will pass onto my homeland through various forums and through my teams in the Brussels and Velenje offices.
Good luck in Slovenia, good luck in Europe.
