Poland's trade boom: Germany's fifth most important partner is going steeply!

Poland's trade boom: Germany's fifth most important partner is going steeply!

The German export industry has its eye on Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and Poland is particularly popular. Again Northern Courier reported, the trade volume with Poland showed a remarkable increase of 5.4 percent in the first half of 2025, which amounts to more than 90 billion euros. This positive development is not least due to increasing exports to Poland, which grew by over 2.6 billion euros, or 5.7 percent.

But imports from Poland are also increasing significantly, increasing by two billion euros, which corresponds to an increase of 5.2 percent. Poland is thus consolidating its position as Germany's fifth most important trading partner, directly behind France. What is particularly noteworthy is that German exports to Poland, at 49.4 billion euros, exceed exports to China, which amount to 41.4 billion euros.

Limits and outlook

Despite current controls on the German-Polish border, which are often viewed as a hindrance, the trade balance remains stable. However, the logistics association BGL is calling for special regulations for the rapid dispatch of trucks in order to further increase efficiency. In 2024, over 9.7 million toll truck entries were already registered at this border.

The Eastern Committee emphasizes that successful bilateral cooperation has played a key role since the enlargement of the EU in 2004. In the first half of 2025, exports to Ukraine also recorded impressive growth of 30 percent to 4.6 billion euros. This support and the reconstruction of Ukraine remain central concerns of European politics and economics, as well as the ZDH determines.

The situation in Central and Eastern Europe is not only promising, but it is also attracting interest from German companies. According to a survey by the Eastern Committee and KPMG, 55 percent of the companies surveyed expect the region to become increasingly important by 2030. In addition, 56 percent of them plan to invest in these markets, which underlines the high demand for consumption and investment.

Trade dynamics in the region

Foreign trade with Eastern Europe shows opposite trends: While overall German exports fell by 0.1 percent to 786 billion euros, exports to the 29 target countries of the Eastern Committee rose by 2.2 percent to 144 billion euros. This is a sign that there are still opportunities in many Eastern European markets. In 2024 alone, Poland overtook China and became the fourth most important sales market for Germany.

Another not insignificant factor is the shrinking trade with Russia. Trade exchanges fell by almost 13 percent in the first half of 2025, dropping Russia to 12th place among the 29 eastern trading countries. Exports to Russia fell by 1.2 billion euros, imports even fell by 58 percent, underlining the need to reassess trade strategies.

In summary, it can be seen that Germany sees great opportunities in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, especially in Poland. With strong bilateral cooperation and trade balance progress on both sides, the prospects for the coming years are extremely positive.