Strengths And Weaknesses : Germany

The significance of research-intensive products for Germany’s national competitiveness is reflected in the exports of its industry. Almost without exception, exports of more sophisticated technologies registered higher surpluses than exports of other goods. In the field of state-of-the-art technologies, however, German business and industry have been less successful. Only a few groups of goods have a strong competitive position, such as pharmaceutical products, newer organic chemicals, synthetic materials, plant protection agents, medical instruments, and optical and measuring instruments. Germany’s position is weaker in the fields of electronic data processing, semiconductor devices and consumer electronics as well as in some segments of the photographic equipment, optical equipment and telecommunications branches.

In the field of environmental protection technologies, German companies have been extraordinarily successful, capturing the second largest share of world trade (20.5 percent) after the United States. German firms are also actively engaged in the field of biotechnology, which will be one of the key technologies in the coming decades. Here, however, the United States has clearly taken the lead.