Europe’s Top Economies Lag Behind on Pandemic Export Rebound

Europe’s export machine is back up and running, but its two biggest economies are proving to be laggards.

Cross-border trade in all European Union countries is now above pre-pandemic levels. Yet a closer look reveals that Germany’s exports in 2022 were only 18% above those in 2019 and France trailed even more with a mere 15%. That compares with a euro-area average of 30%.