German trade body lifts 2015 export growth forecast to 4.5 percent

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's BGA trade association raised its forecast for exports on Tuesday, expecting the weaker euro to offset uncertainty surrounding crises in Greece and Ukraine.

Exports are projected to grow 4.5 percent this year, up from a previous forecast of 4.0 percent, the BGA said. Imports should rise 4.0 percent, extending the trade surplus to a record 231 billion euros ($248 billion).

"The outcome of the Greece question will stay completely open for at least the next few months and probably beyond - with all the incalculable negative and perhaps even positive consequences for the euro zone," said BGA president Anton Boerner in a statement.

The euro sank below $1.08 for the first time in almost twelve years on Tuesday, after the European Central Bank launched its 1 trillion euro bond buying programme on Monday.

($1 = 0.9303 euros)

(Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Madeline Chambers)