Celebrating success stories of German businesses at ‘Top German Brands in Sri Lanka 2022’

Chief Delegate of the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) Marie Antonia von Schönburg (centre) 

Federal  Republic of Germany Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Holger Seubert

Economist Anushka Wijesinha

The eighth edition of the ‘Top German Brands in Sri Lanka’ event organised by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka), with the support of the German Embassy in Colombo, was held recently.

With the aim to encourage cooperation, networking, and exchange among world market leaders and industry peers from Germany and Sri Lanka, the ‘Top German Brands in Sri Lanka 2022’ flagship event showcased the presence of over 260 German brands in the country and emphasised the two countries’  long-standing economic relations. 

German business representatives and high-level decision makers in Sri Lanka attended the event to catch up with the latest news relating to the German-Sri Lankan business affairs, and took advantage of the networking opportunities to create long-lasting business partnerships.

Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) Chief Delegate Marie Antonia von Schönburg, welcomed over 160 representatives of German brands established in Sri Lanka at the event.

She highlighted the achievements of  AHK Sri Lanka and German businesses in the year 2022 and the impactful collaborations with project partners such as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Goethe-Institute and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Sri Lanka.

Federal Republic of Germany Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Holger Seubert, provided an overview of  German-Sri Lankan bilateral trade and investments.

Economist and Centre for a Smart Future Co-Founder Anushka Wijesinha gave his perspective on “The economy of Sri Lanka and its’  challenges and prospects”.

Antonia von Schönburg also said: “With the objective to expedite and streamline the regulatory framework, improve German FDIs to Sri Lanka and increase the ‘Ease-of-Doing-Business’ in Sri Lanka,  this year we have met with local industry stakeholders such as the Health Minister, Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Minister, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka,  the NMRA, Export Development Board (EDB), Board of Investment (BOI) in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka  Customs and the Department of Immigration, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB). We are seeing momentum building for change in some  structural aspects and will keep pushing for a more favourable environment for businesses in Sri Lanka.”

Germany is the fourth largest export destination for Sri Lankan exports. Exports from Sri Lanka to Germany increased by 20.6% to EUR 679,655,000 from January to August 2022. During the first eight months of this year, German exports to Sri Lanka amounted to EUR 149,855,000; indicating a decrease of –16.1%  compared to the same period of the previous year, largely due to the import restrictions imposed by the Sri Lankan Government.