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Access to transparency register should be tied to stricter conditions
Every company is affected by the reporting requirement: in Germany, one million limited liability companies (GmbHs) alone have to disclose information on ownership to the transparency register. In its ruling of November 2022, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) strengthened data protection for business owners. The general public must no longer have unlimited access to sensitive data of beneficial owners. According to the legal opinion obtained by the Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics, access should in future be subject to stricter requirements. “EU member states must not grant access without a legitimate interest being demonstrated,” says the legal opinion prepared by the legal scholars Prof. Ralf P. Schenke and Prof. Christoph Teichmann (both from the University of Würzburg). Conditions should be specified for this, similar to those for accessing the land register.
Dr David Deißner appointed as additional managing director
The importance of family businesses in Germany and the special conditions they need to be successful are now the subject of broad academic research and a great deal of attention in the media, society and politics. This is due in no small part to the Foundation for Family Businesses, which was founded 20 years ago to promote academic research, and the Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics, which joined the original foundation in 2021.
Mission Statement of the Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics
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Urgent call: Stop the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive!
Europe’s economic base is eroding
Europe is losing economic substance. In an open letter to the EU Commission and the European Parliament, our Foundation makes suggestions on how to stop the flood of regulation.
CSRD – avoid excessive red tape and make family businesses more competitive and innovative!
The European Commission’s proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) published in April 2021 and currently being discussed by the Parliament and the Council, seeks to take companies’ sustainability reporting to the next level.
Increasing the resilience of family businesses
Germany has suffered a major reform backlog over the past decade. Although there have been some attempts to improve the situation, the country has fallen behind in terms of competitiveness.