February 18, 2026, 12:20 p.mFebruary 18, 2026, 12:20 p.m
The German export industry, which has come under pressure, is calling for an international alliance to defend free trade against tariffs. “If tariffs are used as a political weapon, Europe can take countermeasures together,” said the President of the Foreign Trade Association BGA, Dirk Jandura.
Jandura proposes a “trade NATO” made up of the EU and other countries to ward off tariffs like those under US President Donald Trump. “Power politics through customs dictates must no longer have any place.”
The BGA warns that German exporters are increasingly finding themselves in trouble on world markets. The association expects German exports, which grew by one percent in 2025, to only increase slightly by 0.6 percent in 2026.
Imports, on the other hand, are expected to increase significantly by 3 percent. “The strong euro reduces the competitiveness of German providers in price-sensitive markets and eats up margins,” said Jandura.
Trade NATO with a mutual assistance clause
According to his idea, a “trade NATO” could help in a world of isolation. The alliance could consist of the EU with countries in the Trans-Pacific Free Trade Area (CPTPP), which includes Australia, Canada and Japan. According to Jandura’s idea, Russia, the USA and China would be excluded.
The alliance could react together to customs attacks with an Article 5 mechanism, based on NATO’s military assistance clause. Customs attacks that contradict the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) would then be seen as an attack on everyone and collective countermeasures would be triggered. This could mean counter-tariffs, digital taxes or similar measures, Jandura told Handelsblatt.
The background to the initiative is the customs dispute with the USA, which caused German exports to the United States to fall by a good nine percent in 2025. Exports to China also fell significantly, while the People’s Republic often exports cheap goods to Europe on a large scale due to US tariffs. At the same time, the former guarantor of free trade, the WTO, has been considered unable to act for years because its intervention has been blocked by important members, not least the USA. (hkl/sda/awp/dpa)