Crown Prince opens business delegation visit to Germany
'Technological and industrial cooperation is a cornerstone of our partnership. Both Germany and Norway have pioneering defence industries, and cooperation between our two defence sectors has led to the development of advanced defence technology,' said Crown Prince Haakon as he opened the first day of the business delegation's visit to Germany.
The Crown Prince addressed a room full of representatives and executives from Norwegian and German military and security technology companies, as well as government officials. Norwegian participants included Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and NAMMO.
Security policy situation
The security situation in Europe makes the Norwegian state visit particularly important. Defence and security industries will therefore be a key focus for the business delegation in Munich. One of the aims of the delegation and the programme in Munich is to facilitate further dialogue between the Norwegian defence industry, the German Armed Forces and the German defence industry.
'The geopolitical backdrop to this visit has changed rapidly and is serious. We are now facing a completely different security situation. It is therefore encouraging to see the close cooperation and strong trust between Norwegian and German defence and security companies. This delegation demonstrates the considerable potential for further cooperation, both between companies and at government level,' says our CEO, Håkon Haugli.
On behalf of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, we are leading and organising the programme for the business delegation to Germany, in partnership with the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin, the Norwegian Shipowners' Association, Norwep, the Norwegian-German Chamber of Commerce and the Norwegian Defence and Security Industries Association (FSI).
We have offices in both Munich and Hamburg, ready to help Norwegian companies explore opportunities in the German market. Defence and security is one of several sectors our Munich office works with.
Norwegian-German cooperation
Germany is Norway's most important defence partner in the EU and a major NATO ally. We have close ties at both the political level and between the Norwegian and German armed forces. German forces regularly train and take part in exercises in Norway, while German naval vessels make an important contribution to NATO's standing naval forces, which play a key role in patrolling and safeguarding sovereignty in the North Sea. Norway has also historically procured a significant amount of equipment from the German defence industry.
The business delegation will continue to Hamburg, where the focus will be on energy and green shipping.