AHK Sri Lanka organises first-ever delegation to ‘Hannover Messe 2024’ in Germany

With the aim of promoting investment opportunities in Sri Lanka and building confidence among current and potential investors, the German Industry and Commerce Delegation to Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) organised a three-day delegation to the Hannover Messe from 24 to 26 April.

AHK Sri Lanka had invited Minister of State for Investor Promotion Dilum Amunugama to lead the delegation along with other Government officials and representation of the Sri Lankan business community. This was the first time that Sri Lanka had officially participated at the Hannover Messe which is considered to be the world’s leading industrial trade fair.

During the visit, AHK Sri Lanka organised meetings with potential investors such as Hamburg Port Consulting, Linde Engineering, and SAP, and facilitated site visits to prominent establishments such as Continental Tires, one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers. These engagements provided valuable insights into Sri Lanka’s business environment and investment opportunities, further bolstering investor confidence.

State Minister Amunugama observed that as Germany is the industrial powerhouse of Europe and given Sri Lanka’s target of encouraging export-led economic growth, Sri Lanka has much to gain from strengthening trade and business linkages with Germany.

During the meetings with German trade associations and businesses, the State Minister stated that Sri Lanka remains committed to international sustainability standards of green economy, strong labour rights, and inclusive growth, and mentioned the country’s record as one of the most ethical sourcing destinations.

He added that Sri Lanka’s key product to the EU under GSP+, apparel, has earned the reputation of garments without guilt. He also stated that Sri Lanka is implementing necessary reforms to ensure long-term stability of the economy, while highlighting that Sri Lanka possesses great potential for creation of renewable energy such as green hydrogen.

Furthermore, when State Minister Amunugama met with the senior management of the Continental group, he appreciated the confidence they had placed in Sri Lanka as a destination for growth and sustainability. Commenting on the delegation’s participation in the Hannover Messe, Schönburg emphasised the importance of showcasing Sri Lanka’s investment opportunities on a global platform.

“The Hannover Messe provides a unique opportunity to highlight Sri Lanka’s potential as an attractive investment destination. By engaging with international stakeholders and showcasing our strengths, we aim to foster meaningful partnerships and drive sustainable economic growth. I am very pleased that Honourable Dilum Amunugama has accepted our invitation to lead the delegation, as his presence in Hannover has sent a strong, positive signal to everyone we have spoken to,” she said.

AHK Sri Lanka organised Sri Lanka’s participation at the Hannover Messe 2024 with the support of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Berlin and Deutsche Messe AG.

The delegation’s presence at Hannover Messe signifies a concerted effort to position Sri Lanka as a favourable investment destination, leveraging its strategic location, skilled workforce, and conducive business environment.

The 2025 edition of Hannover Messe is scheduled for 31 March to 14 April 2025. AHK Sri Lanka organises first-ever delegation to ‘Hannover Messe 2024’ in Germany | Daily FT
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18 years on, Germany hopes to relive World Cup 'fairytale' with Euro 2024

BERLIN - As Germany prepares to host Euro 2024, the 2006 World Cup -- the last major international football tournament on German soil -- still plays a formative role in the nation's collective consciousness.

Now widely known as the Summer Fairytale (Sommermaerchen), the tournament is remembered as the moment a unified Germany shook off the shadows of its dark past and showed the world a new, modern face.

On the field, the German team coached by Jurgen Klinsmann overcame dire pre-tournament predictions to make it to the semi-finals.


Despite losing in extra time to eventual champions Italy and eventually finishing third, Germany's performance kick-started a decade of dominance that peaked with the 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil.

Off the field, the tournament changed not only the way the world saw Germany, but the manner in which Germany saw itself.

Philipp Lahm, a key player in 2006 who captained Germany to World Cup glory eight years later, told AFP: "In 2006 we were able to experience the whole nation standing behind the team and giving us energy.

"The celebrations are good. That people come here to Germany and celebrate a big festival together."

- 'Where are all the Germans?' -

German sports sociologist and philosopher Gunter Gebauer told AFP the tournament had a sudden and long-lasting impact.

"Before the tournament, the mood in Germany was very, very poor. The economy was not going well. The weather was bad and the football was atrocious.

"And then the World Cup started and during Germany's first game against Costa Rica, Philipp Lahm scored and the sun burst through -- it was almost like something from the Bible."

Living in a middle-class Berlin suburb, Gebauer saw a neighbour unfurl a German flag from his balcony, previously considered a "taboo" due to the nation's post-World War II reservations with nationalism.

"From there, we saw German flags and singing the anthem at Germany games -- something which just didn't exist before."

AFP | ODD ANDERSEN

The dissolving of internal reservations meant World Cup visitors saw a different side to the straight, rule-enforcing Germans familiar from national stereotypes.

"Foreigners who came to Germany were delighted with the German public.

"The English people asked 'where are all the bloody Germans? We've only come across friendly people who are partying everywhere'."

Wolfgang Maennig, a rower who won gold for Germany at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, is now a professor of sports economics at Hamburg University.

- 'Feel-good effect' -

In an interview with AFP, Maennig said while the economic benefits of large events were often negligible, "the feel-good effect was the essence of the 2006 World Cup."

Before the World Cup, "Germans were not exactly considered world leaders when it comes to being welcoming," but after 2006 "Germany has improved significantly in international perceptions."

"I believe that foreigners see us completely differently, no longer as unenthusiastic, somewhat peculiar people, but as open and happy, which made us more comfortable with how we see ourselves."

Jan Haut, a sports sociologist at Goethe University, told AFP "the German people became a bit less stiff. They were more comfortable and confident celebrating victories of the national team".

"What was rather new was that Germans themselves became more aware that in other countries the picture of Germany isn't as bad as the Germans had thought," he added.

- 'Only football can do this' -

While 18 years have passed and both Germany and the world have changed, many parallels remain.

Germany again is wracked by economic uncertainty, infrastructure concerns and fears of poor on-field performances.

Haut said the world's attention would again shine a light on Germany, for bad and for good.

"In the worst case, there might be some surprises -- maybe that people become aware that things don't work so well in Germany currently, like public transport."

After the humiliation of two successive World Cup exits in the group stage, Germany have shown signs of life under coach Julian Nagelsmann.

They won just three of 11 games in 2023 but rebounded with strong wins over France and Netherlands in March.

Whatever the team's results in the tournament, Maennig said Germany could bank on the unifying impact of the national sport.

"As a rower I say this with a bit of sorrow in my voice, but only football can bring people together like this. The cafes and restaurants show the games on monitors and you can sit and watch in a friendly atmosphere.

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Solar Balconies Are Booming in Germany and You Can Plug in and Install Them Yourself

A solar balcony from Ertex Solar Austria.

Solar panels are finding their way onto all sorts of surprising surfaces, and now Central Europeans are beginning to line their balcony rails with them; because why not?

To mark the 70th anniversary of the solar cell’s mainstream entry into society, data acquired by Euronews claims that 400,000 German households have already connected their verandas and balconies to solar panels.

New data shows at least 50,000 of the PV devices were added in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

Easy to install—such that many do it themselves, the technology makes every bit of sense as rooftop PV solar panels. In the Northern Hemisphere, during the winter months especially, the sun comes at such a shallow angle that panels on a balcony may even exceed the power generation of those mounted on a roof.

They won’t generate more power, because they’re plugged into smaller sockets, but they present less of a hazard than rooftop solar, and may not even require installation fees. They can also be installed where people may not have the requisite sunlight, the property access, or the structural strength to install rooftop panels.

Jan Osenberg, a policy advisor at the SolarPower Europe association, told Euronews that 200 megawatts is a rough estimate of how much electricity is generated by solar balconies, compared to 22 gigawatts from all of Germany’s rooftop solar panels.

The technology has been a boom in Germany’s strong solar culture. More power is generated by solar in Germany than any other country in Europe.
A solar balcony from Ertex Solar Austria.

“Rooftop solar really has this empowering momentum that people who start to have a solar system, they start to track their electricity consumption, they start to feel themselves as being someone who is a frontrunner in the energy transition, someone who supports the energy transition and is already a part of it,” says Osenberg.

Some German states offer subsidies for a solar balcony kit, which pays for itself in electricity savings after around 3-5 years of its 20-year lifespan. However, at 24 kilograms—over 50 pounds—installation needs to be taken deadly seriously, as a panel falling three or four stories onto someone might be lights out.

Europe has been getting progressively more inventive with the placement of its solar panels. GNN has reported on solar power installations. Source: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/solar-balconies-are-booming-in-germany-and-you-can-plug-in-and-install-them-yourself/
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