Bilateral relations - Germany and the UK
Political relations
Germany and the United Kingdom have close and wide-ranging relations based on mutual trust. There are practically no bilateral problems of note. Relations between the heads of government, who confer frequently, are excellent. This is reflected in the many close contacts between British and German ministers and members of parliament, which are also supported by the political foundations with offices in London (Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Konrad Adenauer Foundation). Much consultation and coordination also takes place amongst civil servants. The annual Königswinter Conferences, instituted in 1950, offer a major forum for political dialogue between Germany and the United Kingdom.
Economic relations
Germany is the United Kingdom’s most important trading partner, ahead of the United States. For Germany, the United Kingdom ranks sixth among the country’s trading partners. Germany has a record of large trade surpluses, with German exports worth EUR 53 billion and German imports EUR 33 billion in 2009. Exports to the United Kingdom accounted for 6.6 per cent of Germany’s total exports, thus remaining at the same level as the previous year, though the volume of exports declined by approximately 17 per cent.
Direct investment plays a prominent role in bilateral economic relations. Direct and indirect German investment in the UK (e.g. Siemens, Bosch, BMW, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post, Linde, Heidelberg Zement) totalled EUR 97 billion in 2007 and has traditionally been higher than direct British investment in Germany (e.g. BP, Shell, GKN, Terra Firma, Rolls Royce), which was worth EUR 41.6 billion in the same year.
Cultural relations
Cultural relations between Germany and the United Kingdom are close and wide-ranging, encompassing both the public and private/commercial sectors.
In literally all cultural sectors, Germany has a strong presence in the United Kingdom and there is a lively exchange between German and British artists as well as managers and institutions. Contemporary German art is shaped by the German artists living and working in the United Kingdom. Conversely, Berlin in particular exerts a great attraction on British artists.
The language barrier remains an obstacle to exchange in the theatre and literature sectors but the odd German theatre initiative or book achieves great success. The bi-annual magazine “New Books in German” helps to draw the attention of publishers in the United Kingdom (and the USA) to new German publications. For some years now, German films have enjoyed great success. The German creative industries (design, fashion and architecture) are also gaining ground and winning acclaim in the United Kingdom.
Youth exchange
The youth exchange office UK-German Connection, set up in 2005 by the British and German Foreign Ministers on the initiative of Queen Elizabeth II and Federal President Köhler, has established itself as a key contact point for all questions relating to school and youth exchanges between the two countries. In 2008 alone, nearly 230,000 teachers, pupils and children used the successful website:
updated: June 2010
