Ahead of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to India, New Delhi and Berlin have decided to enhance cooperation in the areas of renewable energy, urban development, agroecology and mobility.
Ways to enhance cooperation in these key areas figured prominently in the development policy dialogue led by India’s Department of Economic Affairs and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, German officials said on Saturday.
He said both sides agreed to continue their cooperation in the areas of renewable energy, urban development, mobility and agro-ecology in the coming years.
India-Germany cooperation is strategically guided by the “Partnership for Green and Sustainable Growth”, which was established in 2022 following talks between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Scholz.
The German Chancellor is scheduled to visit India next month.
“Germany and India have a long-standing, trusting and strategic partnership,” said Barbara Schaefer, head of the German delegation at the talks.
“This has been further clarified by both sides in 2024 with the launch of the ‘India-Germany Platform for Investment in Global Renewable Energy’,” he said.
This new initiative was launched on September 16 during the 4th RE-Invest in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
“With its commitments this year, Germany has made it clear that it is fulfilling its international obligations with full credibility,” Schaefer said.
The German official said it is important not only to express commitments, but also to achieve concrete results.
“In our partnership with India we have already achieved success in many areas – 7,700 km of modern transmission lines have been built through India-Germany cooperation and metros in Mumbai, Surat and Ahmedabad have been constructed with German (co)financing,” he said.
“Germany supports Indian farmers in making their agricultural production more climate-friendly, resource-efficient and sustainable. Additionally, we are working on triangular projects in Peru and various African countries to leverage our respective strengths there,” Schaefer said.
The German side said that these developments create favourable conditions for the upcoming India-Germany Government Consultations to be held in October at the level of Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Scholz.
“When Germany and India combine their unique strengths, the term ‘sustainable energy transition’ takes on a new dimension, and they set a positive example not only in their respective countries, but also globally,” said Uwe Gellen, Head of German Development Cooperation in India and Minister Counsellor at the German Embassy.
According to a German readout, this year Germany has allocated more than 1 billion euros in the form of concessional loans and technical cooperation (capacity building) for initiatives in these areas.
It said the funds are earmarked for projects in the following sectors – renewable energy, transmission lines or energy distribution, urban development, mobility, forest ecosystems, water, sustainable and resilient agriculture, agroecology, vocational education and collaboration with National Mission for Clean Ganga.
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