Außenhandel: Deutsch-französische Initiative gegen unfaire Handelspraktik

Germany and France have united in their pursuit of new protective measures against unfair trade practices by other nations. These systemic market-distorting practices threatened competition for European businesses and resulted in growing dependence, according to a letter signed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The existing instruments were no longer sufficient. In response, the two leaders propose two measures: one to diversify supply chains, ensuring companies are not overly reliant on suppliers from single countries, and another to allow another country to be excluded from the European single market on an expedited basis in certain circumstances.

The latter is intended for cases where a third country "intentionally undermines the restoration of equal competitive and fair market conditions through political or economic means, leading to serious and systemic distortions of our single market," as stated in the letter. The German and French leaders do not explicitly name any specific country, but they imply the Chinese trade policy is the primary concern.

The EU faces a significant trade deficit with China and seeks to protect its industries from foreign competition. China is accused of distorting the market through state subsidies, creating overcapacity, and enabling dumping prices that European firms cannot compete with. To ensure the proposed instrument can be implemented quickly, the EU Commission is given significant policy leeway, which could be activated as long as the Member States do not unanimously vote against it in a qualified majority.