Thuringia on a mission to the USA: Prime Minister Voigt strengthens trade ties!

Thuringia on a mission to the USA: Prime Minister Voigt strengthens trade ties!

Thuringia's Prime Minister Mario Voigt (CDU) began his first official trip abroad as head of government today. This trip takes him to the USA together with Economics Minister Colette Boos-John (CDU) and representatives from business and science. The period of the trip extends from May 18th to 24th. The aim is to seek dialogue and build bridges in a time of economic uncertainty.

The Thuringian state government is traveling to the USA with a delegation of 60 medium-sized companies to promote Thuringia as a location and to develop new collaborations. “We want to feel the pulse of transatlantic economic relations,” said Boos-John. In view of the US government's current customs policy, which has caused uncertainty in the Thuringian economy, the trip is also part of an effort to better assess the current situation.

Economic relations between Thuringia and the USA

The USA is Thuringia's most important foreign trade partner. The trade volume with the USA amounts to around 2.8 billion euros. In 2024, Thuringia achieved a new export record of almost 2.2 billion euros in the USA, while imports from the USA were 625 million euros, which is the second highest level to date. Around 300 Thuringian companies have export relationships with the USA, and around 40 companies have investments in US companies. Conversely, around 60 US companies hold shares in Thuringian companies. These economic connections are of great importance as US companies have invested over 2.5 billion euros in Thuringia since 1990, creating around 12,000 jobs.

Important export goods from Thuringia to the USA are vehicles, vehicle parts, machines as well as optical and electrical products. What is particularly striking is that cars and car parts account for around a quarter of all Thuringian US exports, worth 558 million euros. Nevertheless, around 70 percent of internationally active companies in the chamber district fear negative effects of US trade policy, particularly due to additional tariffs that are currently being imposed on certain iron, steel and aluminum products as well as on cars.

Future perspectives and dialogue

In the current situation, the Erfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling for de-escalating negotiations from the EU and German politicians. Boos-John emphasizes the importance of dialogue to resolve differences of opinion and has the long-term goal of dismantling all customs barriers between Europe and the USA. There is also the possibility of resuming negotiations on a free trade agreement between Europe and the USA.

With this trip, Voigt and Boos-John hope not only to stabilize existing trade relationships, but also to explore new opportunities for the Thuringian economy. The coming days in the USA will be crucial for how Thuringian companies can position themselves in a changing global economy.

For more information about the trip and the trade relations between Thuringia and the USA you can read the reports from Antenna Thuringia and n-tv see.