Eastern Europe’s increasing importance
Eastern Europe’s increasing importance as a supplier is
largely at the expense of Asia, and no longer at the expense
of Western Europe
During 1995 twenty years, Western European countries’ role in
the past supplying
2000 goods and products to Germany has clearly weakened
in favour of Eastern Europe. Imports of technological products from
2005 Asia have2010 grown more strongly.
In recent years a further trend
also has become evident, and is expected to continue. While Eastern
Europe , 2012 is growing in importance, this is no longer at the expense
of Western Europe, but rather of Asia. Production in Asia will
increasingly be for its own region, while Eastern Europe is expected
to remain a low-wage region for the foreseeable future, supplying
many goods and services to the German technology industry in
the coming years.
Western Europe, including the Netherlands, will
become established as a more high-quality supplier. With this in
mind, the creeping trend of outsourcing, coupled with
the increasingly international purchasing policy of German industry
offers opportunities.
EU Forecast
euf:ba18.c:158/nws-01