ICC Webinar with Swiss Ambassador to Germany

Our webinar on the 20th of March 2025, with the Swiss Ambassador to Germany and former State Secretary of Switzerland, Livia Leu, provided valuable insights into the close economic relationship between Switzerland and Germany.

She emphasized Germany’s role as Switzerland’s most important trading partner and highlighted the strong reputation Swiss companies enjoy, particularly for their innovation, reliability and skilled workforce. This creates significant goodwill for Swiss businesses entering the German market. At the same time, Switzerland is regarded as a model for economic stability and industrial strength, which further strengthens bilateral ties.

Ambassador Leu also addressed the current challenges facing the German economy, including stagnating growth, high energy costs, existing regulatory burdens and comparatively high tax levels. While these factors create a more complex operating environment for companies, particularly in energy-intensive sectors such as the chemical industry, they also open new areas for strategic engagement. In this context, she highlighted the opportunities arising from Germany’s “Sondervermögen” programmes, for example in infrastructure development, where private sector participation, including from Swiss companies, can play an important role.

She also underlined that both countries, as export-oriented economies, are closely interconnected and face similar challenges, with sectors such as healthcare (e.g. pharmaceuticals) offering continued growth potential.

We extend our sincere thanks to Ambassador Leu for her clear and insightful presentation. The webinar offered participants valuable guidance on how Swiss companies can position themselves effectively in Germany.