Germany Business
• Main imports: Food, petroleum products, manufactured goods, electrical products and motor vehicles.
• Main exports: Machinery, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products.
• Main trade partners: France, The Netherlands, UK, Italy and USA.
Economy
The nation's finances have suffered heavily from reunification, the former East Germany swallowing up huge sums in modernisation, and still badly underperforming economically. Those employed in the former West still pay a special tax on top of their regular income tax, for supporting the eastern states. However, inflation is relatively low at around 2%.
Germany's population is aging, and this, combined with the high unemployment levels, and population movement, places a heavy burden on the welfare system. The country also has a high immigrant population.
The country is known for having a cumbersome bureaucracy, both at national, state and local levels, and this too places a strain on tax resources.
Business Etiquette
Office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1600 (many close earlier on Fridays).
Conferences & Conventions
Business Contacts
Mecklenburg House, 16 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB, UK
Tel: (020) 7976 4100.
Website: www.germanbritishchamber.co.uk
German American Chamber of Commerce in the USA
75 Broad Street, 21st Floor, New York, NY10004
Tel: (212) 974 8830.
Website: www.gaccny.com
German Convention Bureau (Deutsches Kongressbüro)
Website: www.gcb.de
Frankfurt/M:
Münchener Strasse 48, 60329 Frankfurt/M, Germany
Tel: (069) 242 9300.
New York:
122 East 42nd Street, Suite 2000, New York, NY 10168, USA
Tel: (212) 661 4582.
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