Speaking at the CII Spain-India Business Summit in Mumbai, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized the growing potential for partnership between India and the European Union, including Spain.
“Spain, as one of the world’s largest economies, has invested $4.2 billion in India this century,” he noted. Sánchez expressed optimism about advancing negotiations on a European Union-India free trade agreement, which he believes would expand markets and promote economic diversity.
Spain’s Clean Energy Expertise to Support India’s Renewable Goals
Sánchez also highlighted Spain’s leadership in clean energy, particularly in solar and wind power. “Spain has extensive experience in renewable energy, and we can help India achieve its target of 500 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030,” he said.
The Prime Minister emphasized Spain’s commitment to working with India to enhance its energy security and support its green transition goals. “By combining Spanish innovation with India’s potential, we can make a meaningful impact on the global economy and the environment,” Sánchez added.
Spain’s Infrastructure and Transportation Solutions for India’s Growth
Highlighting Spain’s advanced transport systems, Sánchez offered Spain’s expertise in railways and subway networks to support India’s infrastructure projects. Spanish engineering firms are prepared to share their knowledge in building efficient and sustainable transportation systems, he stated.
CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said, “Spain’s experience in urban infrastructure, high-speed rail networks, and smart mobility can benefit India immensely. We look forward to forming new partnerships with Spain to support our infrastructure development.”
Banerjee mentioned that discussions also covered potential collaborations in artificial intelligence, defense, and green technologies.
Mutual Benefits in Defense, Green Technology, and Market Access
India and Spain are committed to joint ventures and co-development in defense to enhance strategic autonomy. Banerjee added, “Spain’s expertise in renewable energy can support India’s energy transition.” He expressed CII’s interest in advancing discussions and organizing senior-level business delegations for global events.
R Mukundan, Vice President of CII and CEO of Tata Chemicals, underscored the mutual benefits of Indian-Spanish partnerships. “When working with Spanish brands, we gain knowledge, technology, and quality standards essential for the Indian market,” he said. Spain, he added, benefits from India’s rapid market growth, which expands by $250 billion annually and adds 10–20 million new customers each year.
Spanish Companies Support India’s Drive for Self-Reliance
SN Subrahmanyan, CMD of L&T, praised Spanish companies for their willingness to share core technologies, not just broader agreements. “For India to become truly ‘Aatmanirbhar,’ it needs access to core technology,” he noted, adding that Spanish companies often show a genuine commitment to sharing this expertise.
Leading the Way
As reported by thehindubusinessline.com, Sanchez said that Spain’s advanced railway systems, subway networks and transport solutions can greatly benefit India’s infrastructure projects. He expressed willingness on the part of Spanish engineering firms in terms of sharing their expertise in creating efficient and sustainable transport systems.
Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General CII, said, “Spain is very experienced in urban infrastructure, high-speed rail networks, transport systems and smart mobility. We look forward to new partnerships with Spain to boost our infrastructure development. We’ve also discussed collaboration opportunities in artificial intelligence, defence and green technologies.
“Both countries are committed to joint ventures and co-development in defence to enhance capabilities and strategic autonomy. In renewable energy, Spain’s expertise could help us in our energy transition. From the CII perspective, we want to advance our discussions, and bring sectoral and senior-level business delegations to participate in global events.”
Work Ethics
R Mukundan, Vice-President -CII, and MD and CEO, Tata Chemicals, said, “When we work with Spanish brands, there is a transfer of knowledge, technology and standards of quality, which is very essential when addressing the Indian market. And for the Spanish company, India presents a huge opportunity – we are growing at $250 billion every year, adding 10-20 million new customers annually. The value which Spanish companies need to create when addressing the Indian market also gives them the ability to access price points that they couldn’t access before, allowing them to address global markets more cost-effectively”.
SN Subrahmanyan, CMD, L&T, said, “Spanish companies are unlike other companies we deal with internationally. They are willing to share technology, and not just overall technology, but core technology, which is important because if we truly want to become ‘Aatmanirbhar,’ we need to develop technology within our country. It is not enough to have broad agreements, and with Spanish companies, we often find that willingness to share”.
