Joint Statement by the German Missions in Canada,
the Canadian-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Germany Trade and Invest

Germany and Canada are close allies and like-minded partners. Free trade and open markets are a cornerstone of both countries’ economies. Chancellor Scholz recently underlined: “We must not divide the world through multiple tariff barriers but ensure that we enable this trade in goods and services also in the future.”

As we see a renewed interest in Canada to diversify trade relations, Germany is a reliable partner and offers opportunities for trade and investment, for instance as supplier of machinery or consumer of Canadian goods.

Germany is the third-largest economy in the world and the largest in Europe. Germany not only provides market access to 84 million Germans but to a well-integrated European Union of almost 450 million people. Through the creation of the European Single Market, internal trade barriers have largely vanished. Germany is known for its innovative and high-performing economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), known as the “Mittelstand”, are the beating heart of the German economy.

Trade and investment relations between Germany and Canada have been very resilient in the past. After the pandemic, we have seen a steep rise in German investments in Canada. Since the provisional application of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in 2017 (ratified by Germany in 2022), the trade volume of goods between Canada and Germany has risen by roughly 44%.

However, we don’t reap CETA’s full potential. In the list of Canadian trade partners, Germany ranks 4th for exports and 7th for imports, but the overall volume remains at 32 billion $. There is “Luft nach oben” (room to improve) as Germans would say, opportunity to build on and we invite industry to assess opportunities. Germany Trade and Invest and the Canadian- German Chamber of Industry and Commerce stand ready to assist Canadian businesses to establish or strengthen their presence in Germany.

As the world's top location for trade fairs, Germany is host to the Hannover Messe, the world’s leading industry show. From March 31 to April 4, Canada will take centre stage as its 2025 partner country. This is a unique opportunity for Canadian business, academia, and government to connect not only to a German, but a global audience. More than 200 exhibitors from Canada will be able to demonstrate innovative technologies in the fields of automation, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), e-mobility, clean tech and quantum computing.

Germany looks forward to hosting Canada at this year’s Hannover Messe. We will strive to establish new connections and deepen existing relations, strengthen bilateral trade and provide a platform for new opportunities!