On October 26, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal held high-level meetings with Dutch government leaders, parliamentarians, and business executives to enhance trade, investment and technical cooperation between India and the Netherlands.
Goyal met with the Netherlands’ Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma; the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate, Helen Herbert; and the King’s Commissioner for North Holland, Arthur van Dijk.
He also held discussions with members of the Committee for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Dutch House of Representatives and the Senate’s Committee on European Affairs to discuss bilateral economic relations and the broader India-European Union (EU) partnership.
India-Netherlands Business Forum Highlights FTA Opportunities
The highlight of this visit was the India-Netherlands Business Forum, co-chaired by Piyush Goyal and Sjoerd Sjoerdsma. Around 200 business representatives from both countries participated in the forum. Discussions focused on opportunities related to the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with an emphasis on expanding trade, improving market access, fostering investment partnerships and strengthening supply chains.
During his interactions with the media, Piyush Goyal highlighted the growing economic cooperation between India and the Netherlands following the elevation of bilateral ties to strategic partnership. Emphasizing the potential for strengthening trade, investment and technical collaboration, he noted that the Netherlands serves as a key gateway for Indian businesses seeking to expand into European markets.
Piyush Goyal held separate meetings with the CEOs of leading Dutch companies operating in sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, logistics, energy, technology, industrial solutions and retail. Additionally, he participated in a roundtable discussion with senior executives from 15 Dutch companies. This event was organized by the Embassy of India in The Hague, in collaboration with HSBC Netherlands. The objective of these meetings was to foster investment, business partnerships, and economic cooperation between India and the Netherlands.
Through these meetings and business discussions, India and the Netherlands worked towards promoting trade, investment, and technical cooperation, as well as strengthening partnerships between the industries of both nations. These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to further expand India’s economic ties with Europe.
(PIB)
