India-Germany trade: PM Modi, German chancellor Merz meet CEOs; aim to boost India-Germany economic ties
PM Modi on Monday hailed the growing strength of India-Germany ties, highlighting that bilateral trade between the two countries had crossed the 50 billion dollar mark. “Our bilateral trade has reached its highest level ever, surpassing the 50 billion dollar mark. More than 2,000 German companies have a long-standing presence in India. This reflects their unwavering confidence in India and the immense opportunities available here. This was vividly demonstrated this morning at the India-Germany CEO Forum,” he said. The remarks came as PM Modi met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad during high-level engagements aimed at strengthening economic and strategic cooperation. The meeting coincided with the India-Germany CEOs Forum, which brought together chief executives from both countries amid expanding trade and investment ties. Highlighting cooperation beyond trade, the Prime Minister pointed to steady progress in technology and clean energy collaboration. “Technology cooperation between India and Germany has strengthened year after year, and its impact is clearly visible on the ground today. India and Germany share common priorities in the field of renewable energy. To further enhance this cooperation, we have decided to establish the India-Germany Centre of Excellence. This will serve as a shared platform for knowledge, technology, and innovation,” he said. During the event, both countries signed several Memorandums of Understanding, highlighting efforts to expand institutional and sectoral cooperation. Chancellor Merz’s visit, his first official trip to India, included delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi earlier in the day. These discussions reviewed existing collaboration in areas such as trade, investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also examining opportunities in defence, security, science, innovation, research and sustainable development. Recent figures underline the scale of the partnership. Bilateral trade in goods and services reached $51.23 billion in 2024–25, with Germany continuing as India’s largest trading partner within the European Union. Germany accounts for around one-fourth of India’s total trade with the EU, reinforcing its leading position. Trade in services between the two countries rose by 12.5% in FY 2024–25, touching a record $16.65 billion. Investment ties have also remained significant. Germany ranks as the ninth-largest foreign direct investor in India, with cumulative inflows of $15.40 billion from April 2000 to June 2025. During FY 2024–25 alone, German investments in India amounted to $469 million.
