Russia has lost its long-standing position and dropped to second place, according to data on German export and import operations for three quarters of the year, published by the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, which administers the markets of the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet states.
Germany’s main trade partners in this region are the member states of the European Union. Poland leads by a large margin, with the countries’ trade turnover exceeding €129B. The top three in the region also include the Czech Republic and Hungary, with a trade turnover of €84B and €52B, followed by Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Bulgaria.
Ukraine took eighth place, with its trade turnover between the countries increasing by 17% and reaching almost €8.4B compared to the corresponding period last year. Imports from Ukraine increased the most, by 22.6% up to €2.5B. German exports to Ukraine, including weapons, increased by 14.8% to €5.9B. This is more than exports to Bulgaria or Slovenia.