The reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States may cause Germany to lose 290 billion euros

A research report by the German Institute for Economic Research shows that in the next four years, the "reciprocal tariffs" measures of the United States may cost Germany 290 billion euros and the European Union 1.1 trillion euros.

Xinhua News Agency reported that a research report released by the German Institute for Economic Research recently said that the so-called reciprocal tariff measures of the United States bring the risk of a global trade war and will have a wide negative impact on the global economy. The research institute estimates that reciprocal tariffs will cause a cumulative direct loss of approximately 200 billion euros for the German economy between 2025 and 2028, equivalent to about 1.2% of the average annual loss of GDP. Considering the countermeasures taken by trading partners, the total economic losses of Germany will expand to 290 billion euros.

For the European Union as a whole, the cumulative losses over four years could amount to as much as 1.1 trillion euros.

The report states that reciprocal tariffs create a high degree of uncertainty and pose a serious threat to the global investment environment. They not only violate relevant rules of the World Trade Organization but also lack scientific basis in their calculation methods. The United States has maintained a large trade surplus in areas such as trade in services with Europe for a long time. This factor has been deliberately ignored by the US side. The report calls on the European Union to take forceful countermeasures.

The German Federal Statistical Office recently released a report saying that Germany has maintained a trade surplus with the United States for 33 consecutive years. In 2024, the United States accounted for 10.4% of Germany's total exports, the highest level since 2002. Germany's trade surplus with the United States for the whole year reached a new high of 69.8 billion euros.