German Exporters Would Rather Fight than Agree to US Tariff Deal
By Reuters | 10 Jul, 2025

Despite the US having been Germany's top export market in 2024 German exporters see only disadvantage from striking a trade deal with the US under current tariff threat.

A general view shows containers at the loading terminal "Burchardkai", in the harbour in Hamburg, Germany, April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo

German exporters do not want a deal at any price in the trade conflict with the United States, said Dirk Jandura, head of the BGA trade lobby.

"Our interests must be reflected in an agreement with the U.S.," Jandura said on Thursday in Berlin. "We need a fair deal for the whole of Europe. It must not be concluded at any price." 

The European Commission aims to reach a trade agreement outline with the U.S. in the coming days, ahead of the August 1 deadline set by President Donald Trump for broad tariff increases.

Jandura, President of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA), called for a stronger European single market to improve the EU's negotiating position and to cushion the economic impact of tariffs, alongside new trade agreements or the revision of existing ones. 

The U.S. was Germany's biggest trading partner in 2024 with two-way goods trade totalling 253 billion euros ($296.77 billion).

Exports to the United States dropped 7.7% in May month on month, following a 10.5% decline in April, data showed on Tuesday. 

"The situation in foreign trade is dramatic and threatens to get worse," said Jandura. "The consequences of Trump's tariff policy are thus becoming ever clearer."

($1 = 0.8525 euros)

(Reporting by Rene Wagner and Maria Martinez; Editing by Ros Russell)