Ambassador Emily Haber outlines the future of U.S.-German relations

On October 11, 2019, the Meridian Corporate Council hosted German Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Dr. Emily Haber, in partnership with Bank of America and AT&T, to discuss the current state of U.S.-German relations.

Ambassador Haber discussed a wide range of issues regarding current trade relations between the two economic leaders. Germany has been working with the EU to prevent a variety of tariffs, such as on the auto and agriculture industries, from being levied on the economic system. Germany is the fourth largest foreign employer of the United States with many of the jobs stemming from the automotive and manufacturing fields. Tariffs would increase costs of doing business with the United States, especially for the German-owned automotive companies that rely on the current relationship to sell their cars. In addition, Ambassador Haber warned that if the U.S. imposes tariffs on Germany and the EU, U.S. companies should expect a response from the whole of Europe.

Ambassador Haber also discussed what she called the elephant in the room: China. While the U.S. and German governments take different approaches to the problem, Ambassador Haber explained that there were many similarities between their tensions with China. Both governments agree that there is a risk of theft of intellectual property, lack of market access and unfavorable World Trade Organization rulings, but noted that there needs to be a coordinated implementation of rules. It is impossible to de-globalize China, but if Germany and the United States remain connected in their efforts, they can protect investments. Ambassador Haber’s overarching theme revolved around the fact that the United States and Germany need to focus on the points they agree and stop targeting each other.

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