Germany country guide Germany

Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world and the largest consumer market in Europe with 83 million inhabitants. Domestic spending has been growing in Germany for some years now.

The most important sectors are the automotive industry, machine building and the electrical engineering industry. Germany is the most important export country for the Netherlands. The most important export products are; fruit and vegetables, office and automatic data, telecommunications and electrical appliances.

• Do you want to do business in Germany? Make sure you are aware of German business etiquette and German business practices. The business culture in Germany is more formal than in the Netherlands. Etiquette is important and tutoyers are out of the question.
• Germans want to record agreements in writing and in a binding way. They stick to what has been agreed. At the same time, a conflict is less likely to be amicable.
• The official language is German, especially in traditional small and medium-sized enterprises. If you speak German, it is highly appreciated. Germans are perfectionistic and therefore sometimes reluctant to speak English. In German, language errors are not tolerated. Correspondence must be written in flawless German. Therefore, leave this to authorized professionals. Germans are keen on quality and references.
• There is a lot of interest for product characteristics and details. Prepare yourself for conversations. Beautiful references are an important quality mark for a German. The same applies to quality marks and other quality features.