Promoting Indo-German Trade with Standards: Role of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure (GPQI)

This chapter explores the role standards play in fostering trade between India and Germany and how the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure provides a framework for policy and expert dialogue. The dialogue-oriented multi-stakeholder partnerships on QI are important assets in international cooperation and contribute especially to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) 9 and 12 of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda. In the first part, this paper describes current priorities and developments of the Indian standardisation landscape and compares its approach with the German system. In the second part, the paper provides information on key achievements of the Working Group in standardisation, highlighting the positive impacts in India, for instance, on machinery safety through the adoption of international standards or for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The conclusion proposes next steps to further intensify cooperation between Germany and India on standards and quality infrastructure to facilitate bilateral trade.