It is not only major companies which are doing more business abroad, but also with small and medium-sized entities the share of international business in their total turnover is on average more than 20 percent. The EU is still the region preferred by German companies, if the question comes to relocating business segments abroad, but the USA are catching up. According to the Bavarian ministry of economic affairs, with 12 percent the most important customer country for Bavarian goods were the USA in the first six months of 2006 with exports increasing by 10.7 percent to 8.2 billion Euro.
“For the business year 2006 we are registering a strong increase of SMEs wanting to start doing business in the United States and sending there their staff”, confirms Mr. Georg Mehnert, working with the AmericanDream.de visa and immigration service. Since ten years his company has counselled business and private clients in visa matters concerning the USA.
Professor Dr. Rüdiger Kabst, working with the interdisciplinary management and entrepreneurship research unit at the Gießen university even forecasts: “By the year 2020 the share of business done abroad may well increase to 50 percent for German SMEs.” The importance of the internationalization of German SMEs for the German economy can hardly be overestimated, given that small and medium-sized entities employ more than two thirds of all employees while generating almost half of the turnover subject to taxation and hold a share of more than 50 percent in the gross value added by all German companies.
The crisis following the attacks from September 11th seems to have also been overcome. According to current statistical data by the US immigration office (USCIS), the number of Germans entering the US as tourists or on business has increased again markedly after a serious drop of visitors in 2001. Whereas in 2002 the number of Germans coming to the US had only amounted to 1.405.858, in the year 2005 it had already risen again to 1.711.425. 