Germany exports fewer weapons in 2018
June 13, 2019
The German government's 2018 Weapons Export Report, which is expected to be approved by the Cabinet next Wednesday, shows a sharp decline in exports, according to the RND Media Group which announced that it had seen the report on Thursday.
The report states that the German government approved a total of 11,142 weapons export requests, representing some €4.82 billion ($5.44 billion) in sales — a 23% decrease from 2017.
Most exports — 47.2% — went to the EU, NATO and NATO-allied countries (Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Switzerland).
Algeria tops list of third-country buyers
So-called third countries were the recipients of €2.5 billion worth of arms, down from €3.8 billion in 2017. Of those countries, Algeria was the largest customer, purchasing some €818.2 million worth of hardware.
Though arms sales to Saudi Arabia remain highly controversial, in 2018 the kingdom bought some €416.4 million worth of German weaponry, namely patrol boats and artillery positioning radar equipment. Germany currently has an export ban for Saudi Arabia, though there are some exceptions.
Read more: Germany exporting weapons to Saudi Arabia and UAE — reports
Equal opportunity seller
Germany also exported some €365.7 million worth of arms to developing countries. Pakistan led the list of recipients in this category with a total sales volume of €174.4. It was followed by neighboring India with €96.8 million, and Indonesia with €21.2 million.
Request approvals for small arms and small arms parts totaled €38.9 million in 2018, down from €47.8 million in 2017.
Request denied
The report also documents a total of 88 denied requests, representing a volume of €39.4 million.
Read more: German export policies threaten European defense projects: French ambassador
Speaking of the report, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said that the government was pursuing, "a restrictive and responsible weapons export policy."
js/ng (AFP, KNA, Reuters)