French chamber of commerce opens office in Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 11 (UNI) The Chambre de commerce et d' industry de Paris (CCIP)- the Paris Chamber of Commerce, led by its president, Mr Pierre Simon, announced the commencement of its operations in India today.

CCIP plans to focus on the IT, Biotech, pharmaceuticals and aeronautics industries. Another area of focus will be education, where CCIP has tied up with a number of universities in the country for exchange programmes and dual diplomas. They will also offer business and management courses based on the French and EU markets from top institutes like the Haute Ecole de Commerce (HEC), ranked 18th in the world by Financial Times, and 4th for Executive programme.

Speaking to the media, Mr Simon said, ''We are not only here to help French companies, but also help Indian companies come to France. India is top priority for CCIP.'' The Liaison Office will be headed by Mrs Cecile Huchet and will concentrate on orientation on key industries and finding 'right' partners.

The CCIP was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803 and is a public institution committed to promoting French business. It is assisting more than three lakh companies which constitute 1/6th of the French economy and account for 21 per cent of its GNP. Though France and India have a long history of cordial relations, France represented only 2.5 per cent of India's trade in 2005-06 at USD 6.2 billion.

UNI