Trade and Investment Partnership Summit (TIPS) 2017
5 December 2017, Palais des Académies,
rue Ducale / Hertogsstraat 1 1000 Brussels
Europe India Chamber of Commerce will organize its Trade and Investment Partnership Summit (TIPS) 2017 which will take place on Tuesday, the 5 December 2017. The TIPS, flagship of our prestigious events, will be held in the Auditorium of Palace of the Academies, Brussels.
The Summit is dedicated to fostering bilateral trade, investment and economic relations between European Union and India. During the last two decades, both EU and India have undergone dramatic economic, social and political changes. While EU has become an important player in the international stage with its economic might, India with its 1.3 billion citizens has undergone dramatic economic and social reforms and is has achieved unprecedented economic growth. The vast trade and business potential of India transforms it into an attractive and reliable business partner on international affairs. While the business and political establishment in India and Europe attempt to deepen their ties, cultural links between Europe and India have also been rapidly taking shape. India has its own unique past, a very different present, and is charting out its relations with global actors. To meet the suffocating international challenge and the EU being a major economic player, EU and India need to develop a much more comprehensive dialogue than it has done so far. A giant emerging Indian market exerts a gravitational pull for economic interests. India’s geo-political virtues and strength, its democratic record and values and political stability makes more sense for EU to strengthen its relations with India. Taking into account the current economic and political environment in the context of EU-India relations, and against a global backdrop of dramatic geo-political and economic developments, this year the signature theme of the TIPS 2017 titled as EU-India – Seeking a Transformative Moment in a New World Order.
One of the key elements of the TIPS 2017 will be the launching of the book on EU-India Relations authored by Ambassador Ms. Bhaswati Mukherjee. Ms. Mukherjee has been a seasoned Indian diplomat and has served in Europe in various diplomatic capacities as India’s envoy and has followed the changing dynamics and evolution of EU-India relations over last several years.
Speakers during the opening of the Summit will share their vision and thoughts on the dynamics of the current state of EU-India relations and the challenges both EU and India face in the emerging economic, social and political developments. We shall exclusively discuss, within the framework of the debate, a high-level Panel Discussion titled as “EU-India Trade: Making up for a Lost Decade”. As you may know, the EU-India Summit will take place on 6 October in New Delhi and both parties are keen to give a fresh push to the FTA negotiation. The FTA despite the differences between the EU’s and India’s negotiating agendas in a tough economic climate, both partners will need to show the determination to successfully conclude the agreement. If the FTA negotiations is a decade of lost opportunities or a promising future, we shall debate this during the TIPS.
The Summit will make comprehensive overview on the strategic fundamentals of India-EU bilateral relationship in content and context and will suggest ways to give it a strategic dimension through a full spectrum of debate and inter-active discussions. In this sense, as business and leadership platform, the TIPS 2017 will bring together business and thought leaders, policy makers, regulators, representatives of the European Commission and trade and business bodies with an eye to create innovative ways to strengthen the existing trade and economic partnership between European Union and India.
During last three years, the Government of India has taken several major economic policy reforms aimed at inviting foreign investment in India and announced sweeping liberalization of the FDI rules including the historic implementation of GST as from 1 July. With these changes, India is now the most open economy in the world for FDI with the aim of addressing investors’ concern and offers huge business opportunities for the European companies. The TIPS 2017 thus will provide business leaders and decision makers with the opportunity to discover and analyze how Indian companies and firms can serve as potential partners of European businesses.
The Summit is being jointly organized in association with Embassy of India and in collaboration with EUROCHAMBRES, the well-known Think Tank the Friends of Europe, the European Institute for Asian Studies, Europe India Foundation for Excellence and other like-minded organisations. A total of specially invited 150 participants from India and European countries will attend.
In addition to discussing the main theme, the TIPS 2017 will also take up the current state of EU-India free trade negotiations and if this has been a decade of lost opportunities or a promising future; technical issues such as the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and how this is helping trade and investment; India’s revolution in digital economy and business opportunities including bridging the skill miss-match that hinders the development; the uncertain future of BREXIT and how it is Impacting the EU-India-UK trade and business; etc.