Peter Bishop’s Berlin diary
Trump’s tariffs could not be ignored at the World ATA Carnet Council (WATAC) held in Berlin in April. Would the trade facilitation document backed by the World Customs Organisation be negatively impacted by the draconian charges on imports being whacked on by the US administration? “Not especially” was the conclusion reached by the document experts from around the world who had gathered in Germany’s capital in the first of their biannual meetings. Temporary imports of, for example, cars for the Grand Prix F1 circuit would continue to take place, though security levels would rise in line with duty rates.
Competitiveness
I was in town in my capacity as chair of the advisory board of UKNATACO – see page 37 – and had been taking an interest in the country’s economic and political situation. It seemed pretty clear that Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s conservatives, would be elected Chancellor after the horse trading had run its course. His message to President Trump was that Germany was back on track with twin aims of increasing defence spending and reviving the country’s famed economic competitiveness.
Distinctive
Berlin is of course a noted cultural capital and my schedule allowed for a bike tour of the centre. The itinerary included Museumsinsel – a museum district on an island formed by two arms of the Spree river – which rivals Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier with a diverse array of places to visit. Two of them – the James-Simon-Galerie and the Neues Museum – were designed by British architect David Chipperfield. Another noted Brit – Sir Norman Foster – was of course responsible for the impressive Reichstag make-over in 1999 with its distinctive glass dome.
Music plays its part too. Placido Domingo was in town putting in a guest performance in an opera gala at the Philharmonie Berlin. Basically he was due to present his ‘best of’ selection with famous arias for tenor and baritone. Not bad for an 84-year old.
Divided city
Unfortunately David Bowie didn’t live that long. He is still warmly remembered in Berlin though, a place he drifted in and out of in his career. His concert in summer 1987 at the Reichstag was a major event and his last appearance in the divided city. Just before his death in 2016, his last recording paid homage to the city. Previously, to celebrate the unification of East and West Germany,
Pink Floyd played their album The Wall to a crowd of 200,000 in Potsdamer Platz, a landmark name checked by Bowie in his song Where are we now?
When he died, fans gathered in front of his former home in Schöneberg and placed flowers, photos and candles on his doorstep. Bowie’s songs played from loudspeakers for an impromptu and emotional singalong. The following year his song Heroes was voted by a radio jury in the city as the most iconic Berlin anthem of all time.
Symbolic
Reminders of the Berlin Wall days are everywhere. Our cycling tour took us past a Trabant museum – Trabiworld – paying tribute to the East German cars which were famously stumpy, functional and not noted for their efficiency. They remain, however, hugely symbolic for the mile-long parades they formed as the two Berlins came together.
DIHK – the equivalent of British Chambers of Commerce in Germany – were the hosts of the WATAC meeting and invited members to bring a digital Carnet with them. Customs at Berlin-Brandenburg airport had been briefed, and all went smoothly. Conscious of carbon footprints I travelled by train, arriving at the monumental Berlin Hbf which brimmed with retail outlets but not a customs officer in sight!
