Lower Rhine, February 26 – Britta Alfes has travelled to New Delhi on a European mission. The Lackwerke Peters Managing Director took part in the EU India Economic Forum in Delhi. The idea at the summit in the Indian capital was to expand market access and to stabilize the relationship between Europe and South Asia. As a medium-sized family company, that develops and produces highly specialized coatings for the electronics industry, robust supply chains and reliable framework conditions are of decisive importance to Peters.
Just a few hours earlier, and on the same global political stage, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council, António Costa, and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, had announced the political agreement on the conclusions of the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and India.
„I am speaking on behalf of many small and medium-sized companies of the European electronics industry. In the discussion about resilient supply chains SMEs play a central role. They are highly innovative and have an international network. At the same time they are particularly dependent on predictable and reliable framework conditions.“, says Britta Alfes during the round-table discussion in the Bharat Mandapam, one of the largest Indian convention centers, whose architecture reflects continuity, openness and dialogue.
The managing director of Peters underlined that from the European point of view resilience has to be established by long-term partnerships, transparent regulations and mutual trust. „Here South Asia is a strategic partner for the European industry,“ says Britta Alfes. For many years, Peters has been working with local partners in several regions of India.
A Milestone for Almost Two Billion People
According to Britta Alfes the agreement to a free trade agreement between the EU and India is a milestone and an indicator of good economic relations, growth and job security for almost 2 billion people. In the light of the aggressive customs and trade policy of the USA and the increasing strive for power from China, the agreement is considered as a significant geopolitical step.
Looking at the future-oriented and technology driven value chains, Peters sees potential for a long-term cooperation, innovation and sustainable growth. „In which way can the cooperation between the EU and India be further deepened to create long-term investment and planning security, in particular for technology-oriented SMEs?“ was Britta Alfes‘ final question to the panel of several hundred of representatives from business and politics. „We are proud to have been part of this dialogue and express our gratitude for the opportunity to contribute our perspective.“
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First row: Britta Alfes (4th from left) at the India – EU Business Forum in Delhi. In the center (blue coat): Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission).
Photo ©: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/photo/P-068826
Picture of Peters Managing Director Britta Alfes:
Photo © B-14 Photo Lounge · Guido de Nardo





