The DIHK Legal Committee addresses the full range of legal policies relevant to businesses in Germany and the European Union. Topics include civil law, competition and antitrust law, copyright law, accounting law, corporate law, and public economic law, including data protection and the comprehensive demands of compliance.

The committee members are entrepreneurs from various industries and company sizes, as well as lawyers, tax consultants, and auditors from consulting practices. This composition ensures high expertise and balanced judgment. The committee explicitly does not consider itself a forum for association interests but a platform for independent, practice-oriented expertise.

2025 Meeting in Brussels – Exchange at EU Level

This year’s meeting took place in Brussels – an appropriate venue given numerous economic law initiatives of the EU that will significantly impact businesses in Germany. Led by Mr. Kaßmann (Chairman of the Committee), Prof. Dr. Wernicke (Chief Legal Officer of the DIHK), and Ms. Ting-Winarto (Head of the DIHK Data Protection Department), the program provided in-depth insights into current developments and facilitated direct exchanges with representatives from the European Commission and European Parliament.

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Interview Recht

The Climate is Getting Tougher

In July 2023, Götz Kaßmann was re-elected as Chairman of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Legal Committee. In this interview, he shares why lawyers play a critical role for businesses and what has changed in legal disputes.

Insights from Parliament and Commission

• Prof. Dr. René Repasi (MEP, Chair of the SPD Group in the S&D faction) presented the planned harmonisation of insolvency law, the so-called “28th Regime”, and the omnibus procedure for sustainability reporting. He advocated for greater consideration of SMEs and pragmatic supply chain regulation.
• Kerstin Jorna, Director-General DG GROW, showcased the new Single Market Strategy aimed at eliminating the ten biggest obstacles in the single market (“The Terrible Ten”). Approaches to employee secondments, administrative digitalisation, approval acceleration, and practical implementation were discussed.
• Irina Orssich from the AI Office (DG CONNECT) introduced the new AI Regulation (AI Act) and the planned “Code of Practice for General Purpose AI”. Committee members emphasised the need to foster innovation rather than solely regulate risks.
• Thomas Deisenhofer (DG Competition) explained the report “Protecting Competition in a Changing World” and discussed the impacts of regulation on Europe’s competitiveness. His conclusion: More competition means more productivity and more innovation.

Impulses from the DIHK

• Freya Lemcke, Head of the DIHK Office in Brussels, provided an overview of DIHK’s current activities on-site.
• Hildegard Reppelmund, Head of the Department for Antitrust, Competition, Procurement, and Economic Criminal Law, outlined risks of the planned Greenwashing regulations (EmCo and Green Claims) that could unintentionally hinder sustainable business practices.
• Dr. Julia Schmidt, Head of the European Economic Law Department, presented plans for an optional 28th Regime in EU economic law and assessed its significance for businesses.

The DIHK Legal Committee includes the following members: