Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (, DIHK) is a German 'chamber,' similar to an English

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

but is required under German law and provides political influence of a trade union. This organization was formerly known as the ''Deutscher Industrie- und Handelstag'' or ''DIHT''. Following a series of legal proceedings in several instances due to inadmissible communications by the DIHK because it had exceeded the limits of its authority, these limits of authority were specified in the amendment to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Act. As of 1 January 2023, the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce e. V. was transformed into the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) on January 1, 2023. This changes the legal form: the DIHK is transformed from a registered association organized under private law into a body under public law. The chambers of industry and commerce are legal members of the DIHK.

Structure

In Germany, '

Chambers of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to adv ...

and Industry' is an organization for 79 'chambers' who represents companies within the German state. The DIHK provides over 'three million entrepreneurs' or association members, representing small kiosks and shops to larger commercial companies, with political influence. DIHK has its headquarters in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, a major office in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

and representative offices throughout Europe. See als
Who we are
Association members are under German Chamber of Commerce compulsory or public law model, enterprises of certain sizes, types, or sectors are obliged to become members of the chamber. This model is common in European Union countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain), but also in Japan. Main tasks of the chambers are foreign trade promotion, vocational training, regional economic development, and general services to their members. The chambers were given responsibilities of public administration in various fields by the state which they exercise in order management. The chambers also have a consultative function; this means the chambers must be consulted whenever a new law related to industry or commerce is proposed. In Germany, for over 150 years, the chambers of commerce and industry (''IHK – Industrie- und Handelskammer'') and the chambers of skilled crafts (''HwK – Handwerkskammer'') are public statutory bodies with self-administration under the inspectorate of the state ministry of economy. Enterprises are members by law according to the chamber act (''IHK-Gesetz'') of 1956. Because of this, such chambers are much bigger than chambers under private law. IHK Munich, the biggest German chamber of commerce, has 350,000 member companies. Germany also has compulsory chambers for "free occupations" such as architects, dentists, engineers, lawyers, notaries, physicians and pharmacists. Exceptions are skilled craftsmen,

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

s and agricultural businesses.Overview of DIHK
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Members

Inside of Germany

Inside of Germany, the IHKs are split in 79 regional zones.

Outside of Germany

AHK

German American Chambers of Commerce is a bilateral trade organization promoting German and German-American businesses within the United States and worldwide in 90 countries and 130 locations. The AHKs throughout the world are under the 'DEinternational ' brand name. The GACCs represent about 2,500 members in the United States under the abbreviation AHK USA. In German this is; Deutsch-Amerikanische Handelskammer or AHK. It has offices in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Chicago, New York City,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and San Francisco with a liaison office to the

Representative of German Industry and Trade Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

in Washington D.C. The GACC Consulting Services Department's goal is to assist and support German companies with USA market entry and expansion. They do this by providing "events, such as networking receptions, economic forums, members only events, Industry specific conferences, business luncheons, seminars" including lobbying the American government agencies. They also provide companies with

market analysis A market analysis studies the attractiveness and the dynamics of a special market within a special industry. It is part of the industry analysis and thus in turn of the global environmental analysis. Through all of these analyses the strengths, ...

, marketing concepts, legal and tax assistance, business representation, and

Trade show A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...

support. The GACC publishes various articles, journals and reports. These include, but are not limited to: * Subsidiaries of German Firms in the U.S – Over 3,500 firms in the U.S., which are owned 50% or more by a German firm. * National GACC Membership Directory – About 2,500 companies in the US. It also contains contact information for the parent German organization. * U.S.-German Economic Yearbook – An annual report which provides an "in-depth view of US-German politics, economics and finance." * German American Trade Quarterly – This quarterly magazine provides an inlook into "German-American economic, corporate, political, and trade fair news ..." * Visa and Work Permits for the USA – Regarding US laws for German workers. * Understanding German and American Business Cultures – A managerial guide to US and German business practices and differences.

AHK Malaysia

AHK Malaysia or locally known as the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) is the official representative of German companies within Malaysia and worldwide, together with the German diplomatic representations. MGCC represents its members throughout Malaysia under the abbreviation AHK Malaysia/MGCC with its main office located in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

. Among the services rendered by the chamber includes, but not limited to, Market Entry into the country, Corporate and Accounting Services, German Business Centre, Conferences and Projects and Trade Fairs support and representations. MGCC also publishes articles, journals and reports primarily in regards to the Malaysian industry such as the Malaysian Rubber Glove Industry.

References

External links

Website of DIHK

Official website of German American Chambers of CommerceOfficial website of Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce

DEinternational, the brand name of the AHKs

Official website of Chambers of Commerce

Germany Trade and Invest

Representative of German Industry and Trade

Online Directory of German Subsidiaries in the US

The News Portal of the GACCs and GTAI
* {{Authority control Trade unions in Germany German Chambers of Industry and Commerce German Chambers of Industry and Commerce German Chambers of Industry and Commerce Non-profit organisations based in Berlin Business organisations based in Germany Lobbying in Germany