MUMBAI – His Excellency Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta, Ambassador of Finland to India, successfully led a high-level delegation of Finnish companies on a strategic two-day visit to Mumbai from December 1-2. The visit aimed to strengthen Finland’s investment and trade partnership with India, leveraging the rapid progress in India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to open new and vital avenues for collaboration between Finnish expertise and India’s development priorities.
India and Finland share a robust and rapidly expanding commercial relationship, underscored by an annual trade volume of around €3 billion.
Maharashtra was highlighted as a critical point of entry and a key catalyst for bolstering regional trade and future B2B and B2G engagement in Western India. During the visit, the Ambassador and the delegation met with the Ministry of Industries, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Minister of Skills, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation, Mr. Mangal Prabhat Lodha. In an event with the Ministry of Industries, Dr. P. Anbalagan, Secretary Industries Ministry of Industries with Finnish companies’ part of the delegation such as Kone Elevators, Wärtsilä, Elematic, Lindström, Nokia, Mirasys, Tana, RiverRecycle and Vaisala. The session explored the state’s investment policies, infrastructure, and economic vision, and identified opportunities to deepen investment cooperation by supporting sustainable industrial development, advanced manufacturing, and digital innovation.
Speaking about the visit, H.E Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta said, “Finland and Maharashtra share a long-standing and forward-looking partnership built on sustainability, innovation, and trust. Our commitment here is tangible: we have about 100 Finnish companies actively doing business here in India, of which about 30 are headquartered in Maharashtra, and we quite recently established the Consulate General in Mumbai. During this visit, we witnessed strong commitment from both sides to deepen cooperation in areas such as clean technology, circular economy and digitalization. The hopefully soon-to-be-concluded India-EU FTA will be a game-changer for this partnership, and we are here to lay the groundwork now, to ensure Finland stands ready to work closely with India in advancing a more resource-efficient and climate-resilient future.”
The visit incorporated a series of meetings designed to successfully connect Finnish businesses directly with Indian businesses and government institutions. This included a session on Enhancing Sustainability Impacts through CSR and Circular Economy Solutions. The session concluded with a series of concise pitches from Finnish companies and innovation organisations showcasing practical solutions and technologies to support India’s circular economy transition.
Speaking about the visit, Dr. P Anbalagan, Secretary (Industries) Government of Maharashtra added, “The partnership between Maharashtra and Finland combines Maharashtra’s proactive and progressive policy ecosystem with Finland’s expertise in clean technology and digital innovation, promoting collaboration in smart manufacturing, green mobility and skill development to build a sustainable and innovative future for both regions. Maharashtra’s proactive policies and its focus on nurturing young entrepreneurs make it a key beneficiary, attracting global knowledge, advanced training, and investment opportunities.”
This high-level engagement reinforced the outcomes of the recent 13th Foreign Office Consultations last month, where India and Finland reaffirmed high-priority cooperation in emerging technologies, positioning the DESI- Digitalization, Education, Sustainability, and Innovation – approach as a blueprint for the next phase of collaboration.
The timing of the visit was critically leveraged to underscore the commitment of both partners to cement this foundational trade and investment relationship, particularly as India and the EU aim to finalize their Free Trade Agreement by year-end, acknowledging India’s increasing global stature—a theme recently underscored by Finland’s President Alexander Stubb at the G20.
