India-Germany Ties Gain Momentum as Goyal Meets Top Industry Leaders
India-Germany economic relations received a fresh boost in Berlin on Friday, when Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held meetings with prominent industrialists and corporate leaders. Goyal said India provides immense opportunities for German businesses across investment, manufacturing and research-led innovation.
He stressed that India and the European Union have a rare chance to create a durable economic partnership grounded in trust, competitiveness and complementary strengths.
In a message posted on X, Goyal said he had held a productive meeting with Michael Sen, CEO of the Fresenius Group. The conversation covered the growth of India's healthcare sector, the rising need for quality and affordable medical solutions, and the country's robust manufacturing base. Both sides explored how the company could use India's talented workforce and world-class production capacity to supply domestic and global markets.
Goyal also had a substantive discussion with Stephan Oelrich, chairman of Bayer's Pharmaceuticals Division. They reviewed Bayer's expansion plans in India and considered ways to increase investment, innovation and cooperation in the country's quickly developing healthcare sector.
In a separate meeting, Goyal spoke with Murat Akyildiz, Global General Partner of the Knauf Group, about the company's growing manufacturing operations in India. The talks also covered sustainable building materials and infrastructure development, areas that match India's accelerating urbanisation and economic transformation.
Earlier in the day, Goyal took part in the inauguration of the India Centre of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). Katherina Reiche, Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, was present at the ceremony.
Goyal told the gathering that the new centre highlights the growing closeness of India and Germany and their shared resolve to deepen cooperation. He said the partners' complementary strengths offer a sound base for pursuing ambitious economic targets, and that the India-EU free trade agreement would give the partnership further momentum.
He added that the two countries could jointly develop resilient value chains that serve global demand. Goyal invited industries and investors on both sides to identify new collaborative opportunities that promote shared growth.
The minister also engaged with chief executives of several major companies and industry representatives at a Business Leaders Roundtable organised by ESMT Berlin. He said he was confident that bilateral trade and economic partnership would scale new heights in the coming years.