Northern German industry reduces dependence on US trade policy

Flash Survey Industrial Companies in the North Turn Away from the USA

2026-02-13 Source: dpa 2 min Reading Time

Related Vendor

As a result of the protectionist US trade policy, industrial companies in northern Germany are trying to reduce their dependence on the USA.

Northern German industrial companies' confidence in relations with the USA is waning.(Image: ChatGPT) — Northern German industrial companies' confidence in relations with the USA is waning.
(Image: ChatGPT)

The results of a snap survey conducted by the industrial employers' associations Nordmetall and AGV Nord show that more than one in four companies say they want to reduce their dependence on the USA for digital infrastructure. For example, companies are looking for other providers of software and AI applications.

Trust in Relations With the USA is Waning

"Every trade conflict with the USA also hits the North German economy hard, and trust in the relationship that has grown over the past hundred years is steadily eroding," said Nordmetall's Managing Director, Nico Fickinger, according to the press release.

According to Fickinger's observations, companies are increasingly turning their backs on the USA and focusing on other markets.

That is why not only the EU trade agreement with India is so important, but also why the agreement with Mercosur must no longer be politically torpedoed.

Nico Fickinger, Nordmetall CEO

The Mercosur deal was signed in Paraguay at the beginning of the year after more than 25 years of negotiations. The aim is to create a new free trade zone with more than 700 million inhabitants. However, the agreement has not yet come into force. In January, the European Parliament decided to have the agreement reviewed.

Search for Other Export Destinations

The survey of the associations also shows that almost one in four companies is reorganizing its export efforts. The aim is to develop export destinations other than the USA.

And almost one in five companies are working on reorganizing their supply chains to avoid having to source intermediate products from the USA.

Not all companies are turning away from the USA. Some are bucking the trend and intensifying their cooperation: six percent of companies state that they are setting up their own production site in the USA. Such an approach can serve to circumvent import duties.

Almost 150 Companies Took Part

According to the information provided, 147 member companies of the associations took part in the survey. The survey began on January 26 and ended on February 4. Management and personnel managers were contacted.

Nordmetall and AGV Nord say they unite around 700 member companies with more than 180,000 employees in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen (Germany) and north-western Lower Saxony.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.