Initiative of associations positions itself on the planned First Act to Amend the Foreign Trade and Payments Act

The Federal Association of German Capital Investment Companies (BVK), together with BIO Deutschland, DIE FAMILIENUNTERNEHMER and the Federal Association of German Start-ups, has launched an initiative for the planned First Act to amend the Foreign Trade and Payments Act. The first reading of the amendment took place in the German Bundestag on 23 April. As part of the initiative, the leading business associations jointly expressed their concern that the planned amendments would worsen investment conditions in Germany. The amendments to the Foreign Trade and Payments Act provide for a ban on the execution of notifiable investments. There are also plans to make it easier to prohibit investments in the case of an acquisition of at least ten percent in a German company in certain sectors if the acquirer is not a resident of the European Union. This means that the discretionary scope of the Federal Ministry of Economics will become increasingly wider, as this means that an investment will only become legally effective once the Federal Ministry of Economics has given its approval. It is still unclear in what period of time approval will then be granted. This also causes uncertainty.