Bridge to Berlin

Agreement can open up opportunities

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to India late last week was his third such trip in two years. This might count as a sign of the importance that his coalition government gives to building relations with India.

From Berlin's point of view, there are multiple reasons why this might be of importance. First, to try and create some distance between New Delhi and Moscow, however difficult a task that might appear to be at the moment. Second, to examine the ways in which the Indian economy can be a counter-weight for German industry, which has so far been heavily dependent upon Russian energy and Chinese sub-contractors and markets. And finally—which is perhaps relatively surprising, given the political economy of migration in Europe today—as a source of skilled human capital.