LONDON: The BDI said it would prefer a deep form of integration between Britain and the EU after Brexit. It had previously said the integrity of the single market for remaining European Union member states should be a priority.
Another German industry group, the VDMA engineering association, also called on Tuesday for an EU-UK customs deal. Joachim Lang, chief executive of the BDI – the Federation of German Industries – said: “For German companies, duty-free and quota-free trade in goods is the minimum requirement, ideally within the framework of a customs union.”
“A mere trade agreement between the EU and the UK is actually too little and would mean a significant deterioration compared to the status quo,” said VDMA chief executive Thilo Brodtmann.
The UK is Germany’s third-biggest destination for exports and its fifth most important trading partner.
It is also the German car industry’s biggest export market. German carmakers and suppliers employ about 9,000 people in the UK at 95 different sites.
German companies are still preparing for a range of outcomes to the negotiations between Britain and the EU, including the scenario of a hard Brexit in which no agreement was reached, Mr Lang said. He added next week’s EU summit would be crucial.
