An established forum for Indo-German collaboration: On January 31st, 2026, the “Stuttgart meets Mumbai” Wine Festival welcomed about 1,500 guests from India and Germany, politics and business, in Mumbai for the 22nd time. This year, the event took place under very special circumstances–India and Europe have grown closer together economically in recent days.
After almost 20 years of on-and-off negotiations, the free trade agreement between the EU and India was finally signed on January 27th. Only a few days later, an event opened its doors that has been championing economic collaboration between India and Europe’s largest economy for even longer: Andreas Lapp, Honorary Consul of the Republic of India for Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate and former CEO of the German family-owned company LAPP Group, founded the “Stuttgart meets Mumbai” Wine Festival in 2004. His vision: a forum to celebrate the fruitful city partnership between Mumbai and Stuttgart established in 1968. Since 2015, Maharashtra and the federal state of Baden-Württemberg have maintained a state partnership as well.
Andreas Lapp shared, “Promoting the German-Indian friendship is a matter close to my heart – both in terms of cultural exchange and economic cooperation. Together, our two countries have great opportunities, and I know from my own experience that the best connections can be made through informal conversations. The fact that our partnership has now been sealed at the highest level with the EU-India trade agreement brings me particular joy. With Germany being India’s largest EU trade partner by far, this agreement promises a significant boost to both our economies.”
Andreas Lapp is not only promoting India in his role as Honorary Consul: From 1987 to 2022 he served as CEO of LAPP Group. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, LAPP is a global leader in integrated solutions and branded products for cable and connection technology. During his tenure, the Lappfamily put a distinct emphasis on the India: In 1996, he established Lapp India Pvt Lmt in Bangalore together with his brother. Today, India is set to overtake Germany as LAPP’s largest market. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, LAPP India manufactures in Bangalore, Bhopal and Dharuhera and serves its customers with close to 500 employees.
