'Denmark happy to share its technology with India'

Denmark’s ambassador to India H E Freddy Svane said on Wednesday that Denmark has made strides in developing new technology and is more than happy to transfer its gains to India.

Speaking at a discussion on framing an outline for a sustainable partnership between Denmark and India, organised by Synergia Foundation, a Bengaluru-based strategic think tank, Svane said India needs new technology and the Indians are good at harnessing the latest technology, and making it both resilient and affordable.

Svane said that Denmark is a world leader in renewable energy and a laboratory for green solutions.

He said, “The country has one of the most ambitious, legally binding climate targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent by 2030. India and Denmark’s bilateral trade in products and services has increased by 78%.”

Since both countries are largely agrarian economies, Svane felt the Indian government must frame policies that directly benefit the farmers, thus weeding out middlemen.

He recalled that the association between the two countries went back a long way.

“The Royal Navy of Denmark came to India on November 19, 1620. The objective of this visit was to trade and they established a trading post in Silampur in West Bengal. An early contact for the Danes was the Danish Nobel Laureate Niels Henrik David Bohr who interacted closely with Homi J Bhabha, India’s top scientist in the field of atomic energy and cosmic ray,” Svane said.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to building relations between India and Denmark on a large scale, widening the scope, increasing the speed and making the partnership more sustainable.

He emphasised the importance of the private sector to realise the potential of such agreements.