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Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce: Foreign trade will stagnate in 2025 – bureaucracy and geopolitical uncertainties are holding it back
Foreign trade in southern Hesse will show little overall dynamism in 2025. While pull-forward effects – particularly in trade with the USA, especially in the pharmaceutical sector – will lead to increased export figures to individual markets, a sustained, broad-based upswing will not materialize. This is the conclusion of a recent analysis Darmstadt Rhine-Main-Neckar Chamber of Industry and Commerce
"Foreign trade in southern Hesse will remain stagnant in 2025. Global demand is generally weak, and uncertainties due to the current geopolitical situation are high," explains Axel Scheer, foreign trade expert at the Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce. He adds that increasing bureaucracy is placing a heavy burden on businesses. Daily consultations increasingly focus on customs and documentation requirements – and less and less on the actual export business.
Fewer export documents and declining carnets
This trend is also reflected in the foreign trade documents issued by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). In 2025, 26,933 documents were issued, approximately 4.7 percent fewer than in the previous year (2024: 28,248). A decline is also evident in the number of so-called ATA Carnets, which are required for the temporary export of goods, for example, to trade fairs. 352 Carnets were issued in 2025, twelve fewer than in the previous year.
The US and EU remain the most important trading partners
The preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office for the first nine months of 2025 paint a somewhat more positive picture. According to these figures, Hessian exports rose to €63.39 billion from January to September, an increase of 4.1 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Imports even increased by 6.2 percent, reaching €93.95 billion.
Exports to the USA saw particularly strong growth, rising by 13.4 percent to €8.22 billion. Imports from the USA also increased, by 11.1 percent. The pharmaceutical industry was the main driver of this development: pharmaceutical products worth €3.47 billion were exported to the USA – an increase of 44.6 percent.
Scheer, however, cautions against overinterpreting these figures. The background is the trade dispute with the US, which has led companies to increase their inventories in anticipation of potential punitive tariffs. Other sectors, such as mechanical engineering and the automotive industry, have, in contrast, recorded significant losses.
High export rate in the chamber district
Despite the challenges, southern Hesse remains a strongly export-oriented region. The export quota in the manufacturing sector within the Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce district is 62.1 percent, significantly higher than the Hessian (55.3 percent) and national averages (49.7 percent).
Chemical and pharmaceutical products remain stable, with exports reaching €18.17 billion. Mechanical engineering saw a significant increase of 11.3 percent, while the automotive industry experienced growth of 6.1 percent. Electrical engineering products saw particularly strong growth, with exports rising by 22.9 percent.
France is the second most important customer – imports from China are rising
Behind the USA, France remains the second most important buyer of Hessian goods, even though exports there declined by 3.5 percent. Poland continues to hold third place. Exports to the United Kingdom declined significantly, while imports from there increased sharply.
Exports to China remained almost constant, while imports from the People's Republic rose by more than 16 percent. One reason for this is US tariff policy, which is leading to an increased redirection of Chinese goods to Europe. The Chamber of Commerce believes that action is needed to ensure fair competition.
(DARMSTADT – Red/IHK)
