Between April and June the German economy, which is heavily dependent on manufacturing, shrunk by 0.1% compared to the first three months of the year.
And according to Reuters, trade data from the Federal Statistical Office showed falling sales to the UK had a bigger effect on the exports slowdown than anything else.
Even US president Donald Trump’s protectionist policies that have led to a global trade slowdown had less impact, the data reportedly suggested.
The statistics showed exports to the UK fell by nearly 15% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2019, whereas sales to America actually went up during that same period.
Last year, German exports to the UK made up roughly 6% of overall foreign sales, making it the fifth most common destination.
German sales to the UK experienced a 6% jump in the first quarter of 2019, widely attributed to pre-Brexit efforts to escape potential tariffs ahead of the previous 29 March deadline for Britain’s exit from the EU.