India-Sweden Relations Political relations

The ties between India and Sweden are close and friendly, based on a shared history of common perceptions on issues related to democracy, social and economic development, and disarmament. There have been frequent high level contacts between the two countries beginning with the 1957 visit of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Sweden. Since then a number of bilateral Ministerial visits have taken place focusing on specific areas of cooperation. Recently Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt visited India in November, 2009 for India-EU Summit and bilateral talks. Honble Smt. Meira Kumar, Speaker, Lok Sabha visited Sweden on June 13- 16, 2011. Honble Sh. Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Power visited Sweden on June 19-23, 2011. Sh. Kapil Sibal, Honble Minister for Communications & Information Technology and HRD visited Sweden on 21-24 September, 2011. Mr. Carl Bildt, Swedish Foreign Minister visited India in October, 2011 for Nobel Week celebrations. Mr. Hakan Juholt, leader of Swedens Social Democratic party visited India on 31st October- 4th November, 2011. 2. The first ever India Friendship Group was set up in Swedish Parliament in February 2006. An India- Sweden Friendship Group has also been set up in Parliament of India. The bilateral Foreign Office consultations provide the requisite forum for exchange of views on bilateral and global issues. 3. Commensurate with desire for enhanced relations, a number of institutional Agreements/arrangements have been put in place for promoting trade, investments and other relations including: (i) Agreement for duty free entry and defrayment of inland transport charges for supplies and equipments gifted to voluntary agencies in India, signed in 1966. Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement, notified on 17 December 1997; (ii) Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA), signed on July 4, 2000; (iii) Science & Technology Agreement signed in December, 2005; (iv) MoU between the Sweden India Business Council (SIBC) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) signed in June, 2005; (v) Indo- Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial, Technical and Scientific Cooperation; (vi) MoU on Air Services Agreement between India and the Scandinavian countries i.e., Sweden, Denmark and Norway signed on November 30, 2006; (vii) Memorandum of Understanding signed between Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI) and the Swedish Pulp and Paper Research Institute (STFI); (viii) MoU for cooperation in the field of Healthcare and Public Health signed in February 2009; (ix) MoU between the Karolinska Institute and the Indian Council of Medical Research signed in June, 2009; (x) MoU on Defence cooperation signed in November, 2009; (xi) MoU on cooperation on Environment signed in November, 2009;

(xii) An MoU between India and Sweden in the field of Renewable Energy signed in New Delhi on 19th April, 2010; (xiii) An MoU was signed between Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Lund University, Sweden on establishing a new Chair on Indian Studies at Lund University, Sweden on 22nd June, 2010; (xiv) A Memorandum of Intent was signed on May 19th, 2011 between Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India. The MoI is on bilateral cooperation in the area of antibiotics. (xv) The Embassy and the University of Gothenberg signed an Agreement on 20th December, 2011 to establish a Chair on Indian Studies at the University for the year 2012-2015.

Economic & Commercial relations

4. Economic interests have emerged as the driver of the relationship in the recent years with the bilateral trade at US$ 2235 million in 2010-11 and two way investments. Areas identified for cooperation are IT, Telecommunications, Biotechnology, Environmental technologies and automotive industry. Trade-wise, the main Swedish exports to India are in the areas of pharmaceuticals, paper & pulp products, chemicals, engineering products and telecom equipment. The main items of Indian exports are chemical products, food products, and semi manufactured and manufactured goods. 5. A table on bilateral trade data is as follows: Years 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Indias Exports to Sweden Indias Imports from Sweden

241.80

326.39

387.70

544.19

566.69

476.63

615.68

937.33

1172.20

1932.46

2128.11

1952.50

1590.14

1619.38

6. India has emerged as Swedens 19th largest export market and third largest trade partner after China and Japan in Asia. Sweden is the 12th largest FDI investor in India according to Sweden Investment Agency (SIA) figures with investments of just under US$ 1 billion which does not reflect profits which have been ploughed back by Swedish MNCs. 7. Sweden with its large number of MNCs has had a very long presence in India. Swedish Match had established its facility (WIMCO) as early as in 1926. Since then

other Swedish companies like Ericsson, SKF, Atlas Copco, DeLaval, Volvo, ABB, Astra Zeneca, etc. have expanded their operations in India. At present there are over 160 Swedish joint ventures wholly owned subsidiaries in India. Recognising the booming trade and investment opportunities in India, the Swedish Trade Council, already having its offices in Delhi and Bangalore, opened its third office in Mumbai in March 2008. The agency Invest Sweden has also opened its office in Delhi in September 2009. A Swedish- India Business Council has been established to enhance trade and investment cooperation. It has a membership of over 120 Swedish companies including SMEs. 8. There are over 40 Indian IT companies in Sweden and their cumulative exports are estimated at US $ 600 million. Indian pharma and biotech companies like Dr. Reddys, Biocon, Kemwell and Ranbaxy have formed collaborative relations in Sweden. Bharat Forge, acquired the Swedish firm Imatra Kilsta AB in 2005 with a workforce of over 500 employees. In 2006, Wipro acquired 100% equity of the Sweden-based Hydrauto Group AB which produces hydraulic cylinders for a consideration of USD 31 million. In April, 2011 Aditya Birla Group acquired the Swedish speciality pulp maker and bio refinery company Domsjo Fabriker for SEK 2.1 billion. In May, 2011 Indias Crompton Greaves signed an agreement to buy Emotron which develops electric motors in Helsingborg. There are over 70 Indian companies including IT companies currently present in Sweden.

Cultural relations
9. Despite the absence of the Cultural Exchange Programme between India and Sweden, the Embassy in coordination with ICCR and local NRIs has sponsored cultural performances several times in Sweden during the last few years. Every year ICCR offers two scholarships to Swedish nationals for studying dance and music. This has been utilised by the Swedish side. Under the EUs Erasmus Mundus Scholarship and Academic Cooperation programme, a large number of Indian students and Postdoctoral researchers have joined Lund University and Karolinska Institute in Sweden. There are nearly 14,000 Indian origin persons and 4500 Indian passport holders in Sweden.

Trade between Sweden and India

http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/New-Delhi/Business/Trade-betweenSweden-and-India/ Sweden has a long history of trade and investments in India, in particular within manufacturing and telecom. Ericsson supplied its first manual switchboard to India in 1903, and in 1920, Swedish Match set up its first factory here. A number of Swedish multinational companies are investing and have manufacturing plants in India. ABB, Volvo Trucks, Astra Zeneca, Ericsson, Semcon AB, Atlas Copco, Sandvik and SKF, just to name a few, have strong

presence. In recent years, several of these companies have also established significant R&D operations in India. In 2011, some 140 Swedish companies had established operations in India. Trade between India and Sweden annually grows at a rate of approximately 20 percent. Textiles and garments make up the main part of Indian exports to Sweden, but manufactured goods, and in particular machinery, are rapidly gaining ground among Swedish imports from India. Indian service exports to Sweden are also growing, in particular in the field of computer and information services. The Swedish Trade Council, which has locations in New Delhi as well as Bangalore, assist those interested in doing business with Swedish companies or has questions regarding Swedish exports. The Swedish Trade Council also works with Swedish companies seeking to establish a presence in India.

Invest: Sweden
http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/New-Delhi/Business/Invest-inSweden/ Invest Sweden is the government agency assisting and informing foreign investors about business opportunities in Sweden. Companies planning to establish or expand business operations in Sweden can, free of charge, obtain information and assistance from Invest Sweden and its regional and international network. The vast majority of Invest Sweden staff has a background in the corporate sector and expertise in the investment process. These attributes help ensure professional guidance for successful business launches in Sweden. Invest Sweden offers assistance with:

Comprehensive information on business opportunities in Sweden, key business sectors and the Swedish economy Tailor-made information and practical advice on how to proceed when setting up a business in Sweden Introductions to relevant contacts among Swedish authorities, utility providers and professional service companies such as lawyers, accountants, relocation specialists and recruitment companies Assistance in finding and arranging visiting programs to the most suitable locations in Sweden Support in finding companies for possible joint ventures or other forms of cooperation

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in India

http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/New-Delhi/Business/SwedishChamber-of-Commerce-in-India/ The Swedish Chamber of Commerce India is an independent, non-profit networking organization with the mission to promote Swedish commercial interests in India. The Chamber provides unique business opportunities and access to an influential network of individuals with good knowledge about doing business in India. Members obtain exclusive membership services and up to date information. Member companies include all large Swedish companies and a number of small and middle sized companies operating in India.

Business with Sweden http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Business/ The Swedish business climate is known for flat organizational structures and managers who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves. Business in Sweden is constantly evolving, becoming more competitive but always with people and the environment in mind. The future of Swedish business is said to lie primarily in knowledge-intensive industries, where Sweden can take advantage of its advanced technological development, sophisticated infrastructure and high general educational level. Information and communication technologies (ICT) and biomedicine are two such knowledge-intensive sectors in which Sweden has been among the global leaders for years. During the 20th century, what is often described as the "Swedish economic miracle" occurred. In the space of a few decades, a poor agrarian country was transformed into one of the worlds most prosperous and sophisticated industrial nations. The foundation for this rapid growth was northern Sweden's enormous wealth of forests, ore and hydroelectric power, combined with a long series of ingenious Swedish inventions such as the ball bearing, the gas-powered beacon and the adjustable wrench, to name only a few. Even today, this kind of engineering brilliance remains at the core of the Swedish business sector. Look at ICT inventions like Skype that enables people to call each other for free over the internet, and the online music service Spotify.

Links:
http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Business/ http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/New-Delhi/Business/Invest-inSweden/ http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/New-Delhi/Business/Trade-betweenSweden-and-India/ http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/New-Delhi/ http://mea.gov.in/mystart.php?id=50047927