Officials from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and BVMW, Germany’s largest SME association with almost 530,000 members, convened with the Global Coalition for Efficient Logistics (GCEL) in order to review the recommendations from the Germany Shipment and Trade Efficiency Assessment (SEA) report at the Ministry’s offices in Berlin on July 24, 2017.
A perennial leader in trade efficiency, Germany seeks to further improve its trade efficiency by digitizing its global value chains, especially those benefiting SMEs. The Germany SEA Report diagnosed current trade practices based on what technology makes possible today, noting that Germany can further reduce its excess domestic and international trade costs by USD 58 billion annually, increase trade by more than USD 330 billion a year, and create more than 2 million manufacturing, agriculture and service industry jobs. The results also revealed that 82 percent do not have an integrated system and 95 percent want the Digital Economy Platform to be more competitive in the global market place.
The 2017 G20 Germany Digital Economy Ministerial Declaration released in Düsseldorf during April 2017 recognized the potential for economic growth and social well-being that digital transformation brings to drive inclusive growth, jobs, and sustainable development, as well as bridging the digital divides.