Minister Tiilikainen announces the opening of the Finland Chamber of Commerce in India

The minister of the environment, energy and housing Kimmo Tiilikainen has announced the opening of the new Finland Chamber of Commerce in India (FINCHAM). The opening ceremony took place in New Delhi on 20 April.

The main task of the chamber is to support Finnish companies in India, whether they are already established or aiming for the market area. Furthermore, the chamber boosts dialogue between the two countries both in economic and cultural matters. The chamber is an independent, non-profit organization that receives funding through membership fees.

The launch of the Finland Chamber of Commerce in India took place alongside a seminar on energy and infrastructure for smart cities, which finalized minister Tiilikainen’s two-day-visit to India.

“With the help of the new Chamber of Commerce Finnish companies have ever increasing opportunities for collaboration with their Indian partners. We have a lot of know-how for example in ICT, clean energy, waste management and sustainable urban development.  These are solutions for global problems that also India is very much facing”, the minister Tiilikainen says.

The Finland Chamber of Commerce in India also promotes interaction between Finnish companies and the Indian administration, in collaboration with the Finnish Embassy in New Delhi and Business Finland.

“State-owned companies are very strong in India. Without additional support, it can be challenging for small and mid-sized Finnish companies to get an opportunity to discuss with them. The Finland Chamber of Commerce in India helps Finland to get its voice heard, which is beneficial also for larger Finnish companies that have already been established in India”, says Kai Janhunen, Vice President, Energy at Valmet. Mr Janhunen was acting as the head of the business delegation in the official meetings that the companies participated in with minister Tiilikainen in India.

Finland was one of the earliest countries with whom India established diplomatic relations a couple of years after its independence, in 1949. The partnership has since deepened to commercial collaboration as well, as there are currently around 100 Finnish companies operating in India.

“Finland has some world class innovations that are not yet that well known in India. We want to increase their visibility in India and, at the same time, provide Indian companies with opportunities to invest in Finland”, says Amit Gossain, Managing Director for KONE in India and member of the Finland Chamber of Commerce board of directors. In addition to Mr Amit Gossain, the chamber’s board is formed by the directors of Fortum, Wärtsilä and Nokia in India.

Minister Tiilikainen’s previous visit to India together with a delegation of Finnish companies was in October 2017. In addition to launching the Finland Chamber of Commerce, this week’s visit included meetings with India’s key ministers and business leaders dealing with energy issues as well as site visits to a local power plant and farm.

The companies attending the meetings were: Fortum, KONE, Wärtsilä, Valmet, Elematic, Traustsala, BaseN, Isha, Nokia and Ensto.

Inquiries:
Mikko Pötsönen, Counsellor, Embassy of Finland to New Delhi, tel. +91 11 4149 7500, firstname.lastname(at)formin.fi (inquiries regarding the Finland Chamber of Commerce)
Jussi Palmén, Communications Specialist, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 29 525 0219, firstname.lastname(at)ym.fi (requests for interviews with Minister Tiilikainen)