| "At present companies can enter the cash and carry wholesale trading business and I understand Metro is planning to start operations in two other (Indian) cities," Chidambaram said at a press conference after the 15th session of the Indo-German Joint Commission meeting. |
| German Minister for Economics & Labour Wolfgang Clement said Metro's investment in India may soon cross the combined investment from Germany so far. |
| He also said German companies were looking at investing in the Indian infrastructure sector including in upcoming roads, telecom and power projects. |
| Food processing, aerospace, biotech and clean coal technology have been identified as areas where investment from Germany could take place. |
| Coal bed methane was identified as another area of cooperation, which would be studied by a joint study group, Chidambaram said. |
| Clement also invited Indian companies to invest in Germany, particularly in the eastern part of the country. He said some 60 IT companies had already invested in Germany. |
| Chidambaram said the Indian industry had raised the issue of anti-dumping duties in the European Union. For instance, capital goods, and especially those for the textiles sector, is a large item of import for India. "If textiles is subjected to anti dumping, then it is mutually defeating," the minister said. |
| He said Germany was one member of the EU which believed in free and open trade and often found itself in a minority when it came to voting on anti-dumping and added that the German delegation had assured India that it would seek a second look at the anti-dumping practices. |
| The two sides reiterated their commitment to double bilateral trade to Euro 12 billion by 2012. |
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