afternoon seminar: Germany and the Strong Interconnection between Manufacturing and Services – Which Trade Policy?”

But those figures do not reflect the full picture. Manufacturers rely more and more on services in various ways to become more productive and have become service providers themself.  This makes it worth having a closer look at what this could mean for the EU’s trade policy. And what is the position of Germany in this field.

In today’s geopolitical turmoil, headlines are on trade in goods and tariffs. But did you know that Germany was the second EU exporter of services (€225 Bio – 25% of Germany total exports) and the second EU importer of services (€220 Bio – 32% of total Germany imports)? World wide, Germany is the 5th largest exporter of services, but not much attention is paid to this fact. Why?

Let’s come and discuss the importance of these issues for the industrial future of Germany and the EU!

The German Economic Institute (IW) and the European Services Forum (ESF) would like to invite you to an afternoon Seminar “Germany and the Strong Interconnection between Manufacturing and Services – Which Trade Policy?”

Date/Time
Monday 31 March 2025 from 14:30 to 16:00 at

Place
House of German Business – Industries and Employers
Rue Marie de Bourgogne 58
1000 Bruxelles

Moderator:
Sandra Parthie, Head of Brussels Office of IW Köln, German Economic Institute

Speakers:
- Pascal Kerneis, Managing Director of the European Services Forum
- Folker Franz, Director of Advocacy for Energy Traders Europe
- Lucian Cernat, Head of Global Regulatory Cooperation and Public Procurement Negotiations, DG Trade. Until July 2020, Chief Trade Economist at the European Commission (confirmed).

Services such as transport, logistics and communications are the more obvious ones necessary for manufacturers to participate in value chains. But there are many other services like manufacturing services on physical inputs, maintenance & repair and aftersales services, research and development services, business & management consulting services, engineering services, leasing services, etc. that are often provided by manufacturing companies. This allows firms to increase the value of their products to business customers and consumers and to enhancing customer relationships.  Finally, there are many service elements embedded in goods in form of patents, trademarks and of copyright on computer software, which are also accounted as trade in services.

The panel will discuss this development and also how it goes hand-in hand with the digitisation of business processes and the fact that a lot of business services are increasingly provided digitally.
 
Afterwards, we will deliberate with the audience what this could mean for Germany and the EU’s trade policy under the new Competitiveness Compass.