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Hans-Olaf Henkel, who is also a former Federation of German Industries (BDI), said Germany’s huge auto industry would take a big hit, as would other key sectors, and warned Brussels not to complacently assume that Brexit is just a “British problem”. . Henkel spoke after the release of a report by credit insurer Euler Hermes, which puts the chances of a no-deal result at 45 percent.
The report suggests that such an eventuality would jeopardize exports totaling € 33 billion, of which Germany’s would account for a quarter (€ 8.2 billion), by far the highest figure in the bloc.
Henkel told Express.co.uk: “It is too obvious that Brexit is a win-lose proposition for both the EU and Britain.
“However, the impression in EU circles suggests that it is primarily a British problem.
“Before Brexit, Britain was the biggest customer of the other 27 countries, ahead even of China and the United States.”
The corresponding risk to your own country should not be underestimated, Henkel said.
He added: “For Germany, the third largest exporting nation in the world, Great Britain was the third largest individual customer, behind the United States and China.
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“Due to the high value of BMW, Mercedes, Audis and VW, Great Britain was a formidable customer of the German car industry.”
Even before the end of the transition period on December 31, Brexit was having an impact, Henkel noted.
He said: “Since Brexit, sales of cars made in Germany have fallen dramatically in Britain.
“Exports of British-made BMW-Minis around the world indicate that Britain is not only benefiting from the Common Market, but also that BMW has a lot to lose if a no-deal scenario results in huge red tape, fees and complications. in the supply chain.for British made Minis exports.
“Germany doesn’t just export cars to the UK; Think Trumpf machine tools, Miele washers, and Stihl chainsaws.
“That is the reason why German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who currently chairs the EU Council of State and government leaders, has stepped in and pressured Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, to abandon his ultimatum. previous, that is to say, that the table leaves before October 31 of this year “.
Henkel added: “When he visited us at the European Parliament in Brussels in 2018, the Executive Director of the Port of Dover eloquently described to me what would happen to the Port of Dover should the need for customs declarations for goods and veterinary certificates arise. .
“He predicted truck tails over 10 miles long.
“Major disturbances are also expected in European ports such as Rotterdam.
“Brexit itself is an economic and political problem, but a no-deal would be a catastrophe.
“The crisis in the Crown itself is already a major disaster for the British and European economies alike.
“That’s why I bet there will be a deal in the end. We need a no-deal like a hole in the head.”
(Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg)
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