Study on exports
Clever decline: Germany’s global market shares are falling
Leise, but steadily: According to an analysis, Germany falls back on the world market and in important industries such as automobile, chemistry and mechanical engineering. For this, an ever greater rival benefits.
For around a decade, Germany’s market share has been shrinking on important sales markets and in key sectors such as automobile and mechanical engineering. This is the result of a study by the association of researching Pharma companies (VFA). The promotion of China and the customs policy of US President Donald Trump would have changed the trade weights. The reason is also your own failures, such as sleepy trends in the car industry.
China gains more and more important on the world markets – even in core areas of high -export German industry such as the auto industry, according to the analysis, about which the “Spiegel” first reported.
The other EU countries could assert themselves and won shares on the US market, such as the Irish and Swiss pharmaceutical industry. “China wins in Europe, Europe in the United States-Germany is left behind,” summarizes VFA chief economist Claus Michelsen. The customs dispute with the United States now meets Germany in a critical situation.
As the main reason for the losses of the Federal Republic, the study sees the auto industry that it has taken up central future trends such as the turn to alternative drives too late. In addition, there would be high costs, dependence on international suppliers and little flexibility in digital business models, such as networked vehicles and software solutions.
“German industry has considerable potential”
Specifically, Germany’s shares in world trade have dropped an average of around 0.11 percentage points per year since 2013. The Federal Republic is not bad: “Germany’s industry still has considerable potential and is successfully positioned in international markets”. Exports have increased for years – just less strong than the volume of the world trade. The creeping loss of market share is now becoming more and more visible.
From 2013 to 2024, China won an average of around 0.36 percentage points per year on the world market. The People’s Republic increased the proportion, especially outside the United States, in America the country had to be lost because of high import duties in Trump’s first term. These led to surrounded trade flows. The basis of the study is the United Nations database, which includes merchant data of more than 170 countries.
In order to keep up in the competition, the EU must deepen the internal market, where there were still national regulations, says the VFA. Germany needs more speed in central technologies and an investment offensive in infrastructure, research and systems.
dpa
Source: Stern
