Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Logo IHK Koeln.svg
chamber
Organizational form Public corporation
founding year 1797
Seat Cologne , offices in Bergheim ,
Gummersbach and Leverkusen
Homepage www.ihk-koeln.de
president Nicole Grünewald
Chief Executive NN
Members
Associated Around 150,000
General Assembly 92 members (plus 14 honorary members)
Bureau 1 president + 9 vice-presidents
voter turnout 8.13%
Key figures
Number of managers 1
Number of employees 224, including 56 part-time in 2010
Contribution amount 27.5 million euros in 2010
Rate of assessment 0.18%
Total assets 52.8 million euros in 2010
Headquarters of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Cologne, Unter Sachsenhausen 10–26 (2009)

The Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Cologne) is a corporation under public law and has the statutory task of safeguarding the overall interests of the approximately 145,000 associated businesses and businesses in the independent cities of Cologne and Leverkusen as well as the Oberbergischer Kreis , the Rhein-Erft district and the Rheinisch-Bergisches Kreis .

Seat

The Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry is headquartered in Cologne at Unter Sachsenhausen 10–26 and has offices in Bergheim , Gummersbach and Leverkusen .

organization

General Assembly

The main tasks of the plenary assembly include the definition of the economic plan and the economic policy guidelines of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the formation of committees and local economic bodies as well as the decision on changes in the Chamber of Industry and Commerce statutes.

The General Assembly is the highest body of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce - through the democratically legitimized vote of the General Assembly, the positions and demands at local, regional as well as state and federal level gain a special value. The committee represents a cross-section of all branches and branches of business in the district of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce. It elects the presidium from its own ranks.

In autumn 2014, the general assembly with 92 members was elected from the 150,000 company representatives who were entitled to vote at the time. The turnout of the electoral groups averaged 8.13%.

Bureau

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce is represented jointly by the President Nicole Grünewald and the General Manager. The Presidium consists of the President and the nine Vice-Presidents Anton Bausinger, Hendrik Pilatzki, Sven Gebhard, Tina Gerfer, Christian Remmert, Mike Gahn, Sibylle Stürmer, Johannes Schilling and Bernhard Graner-Sommer.

Chief Executive

The General Assembly appointed Herbert Ferger as General Manager with effect from March 1, 2000 - in this position he represented the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce and managed its business until February 29, 2012. From March 2012 to May 26, 2020 Ulf C. Reichardt was Chief Executive Officer.

Business areas

The Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce divides its tasks into six business areas ("umbrella brands"): "Education and training", "Business start-ups and business support", "International", "Location policy", "Innovation and the environment" and "Law and taxes":


Initial and continuing education

Medal of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce (1986) for services to vocational training, awarded to Gerhard Hund

The main area of ​​responsibility of the training and further education division includes the provision of qualified specialists and managers as well as the implementation of the examinations in the training and further education. The specialist exam for specialist public relations is only carried out in Germany by the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce. By promoting the training skills of school leavers as well as the trainer skills of the companies, the training success is to be secured in the long term. As part of the development of further training offers in the training center of the IHK Cologne, companies receive extensive support in the field of further training.

Managing director for training and further education: Christopher Meier


Business start-ups and business support

The business and commercial information and advice of the member companies of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry is handled by the business start-up and business promotion department. Business start-ups are not only supported in drawing up business plans, but can also take advantage of the IHK's advisory services on the organization and financing of the company, as well as applying for subsidies. In 2009, the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) pursued the most urgent activity in this business area in the area of ​​crisis advice and was able to counter a crisis at an early stage in many cases with the help of financing experts and development banks.

Managing Director International and Management: Alexander Hoeckle


International

By providing extensive market information, international partnerships and information on foreign trade and customs law, the International division of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce makes it easier for companies to enter foreign markets and thus supports them in opening up new markets. The division's main markets include Greater China , Kazakhstan , Turkey and Vietnam .

Managing Director International and Management: Alexander Hoeckle


Location policy

The business area of ​​location policy focuses primarily on securing the location and representing the interests of companies in the Cologne region and represents their interests in relation to politics, administration and the public. Joint initiatives with other regional actors from business and politics are intended to promote the growing together of the Rhineland economic region - at the same time, the level of awareness and attractiveness of the Cologne region should be increased by securing sufficient commercial space as growth reserves for existing companies, but also for new settlements.

Managing Director Location Policy and Deputy Managing Director: Ulrich S. Soénius


Innovation and the environment

Due to the strong dependence of the Innovation and Environment division on the political framework, it serves as a political lobby group in the areas of energy, energy efficiency, climate protection and the environment. With numerous information events, company visits and the provision of information material, the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce fulfills its advisory function and thus supports future-oriented technology fields such as innovative materials, biotechnologies and hydrogen technologies of the member companies. In addition, the networking of the regional economy in the areas of innovation, energy and the environment also plays a key role in this division.

Managing Director Innovation and Environment: Elisabeth Slapio


Law and taxes

The focus of the activities of the legal and tax division is on providing information on legal reforms and providing information to companies in all areas of relevance to the company, from labor and tax law to contract law. In addition to information events, leaflets and newsletters, the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce maintains personal contact with the companies in order to pass on suggestions to the legislative organizations and to perceive economic interests.

Managing Director Law and Taxes: Frank Hemig

Offices

The Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) has three offices in Gummersbach (for the Oberbergische Kreis), in Leverkusen (for the independent city of Leverkusen and the Rheinisch-Bergische Kreis) and in Bergheim (for the Rhein-Erft district) to support the companies and businesses on site ) present.

The IHK offices are the first point of contact for all concerns of the companies in their respective areas of care. The member companies receive all the services of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce in the service centers. Consultants are available for all questions relating to business start-ups and management, as are experts for settlement issues and retail. All branches offer day seminars as well as independent training advice and are available for questions from all business areas.

In addition, the offices also act as intermediaries for politics and administration and for this purpose maintain regional committees and economic bodies in which local companies can get involved. Your task is to help solve local and regional problems of economic importance, to bring long-term entrepreneurial competence into the development of cities and districts and to promote the dialogue between business, politics and administration - but also the universities. The respective district administrators or mayors are permanent guests of the bodies. Accordingly, predominantly local or regional political problems or location-political issues should be dealt with. In addition, the member companies from the surrounding area feed topics into the work of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce via these bodies, are informed about the activities of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry and can contribute to the work. In the composition of the regional committees and economic bodies, attention is paid to branch and regional weighting.

Business figures 2015

The Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce has operating income of 37.8 million euros, most of which are generated through membership fees. The basic contribution is between EUR 51 and EUR 2556 per company. Companies that are not registered in the commercial register and generate less than 5200 euros in profit per year are exempt from the contribution. In addition, a contribution of 0.18% of the trade income is levied for the member companies.

Legal membership

In Germany, all companies - with the exception of craft businesses, liberal professions and agricultural businesses - are legally obliged to be a member of the IHK, depending on their location. The legal framework is specified by federal law, the supplementary state laws and the respective IHK statutes.

In its decision of December 7, 2001, the Federal Constitutional Court confirmed the admissibility of compulsory membership in chambers of industry and commerce. The freedom of association under Article 9 (1) of the Basic Law does not protect against legally mandated incorporation into a public corporation. From a constitutional point of view, it is not objectionable that the legislature continues to assume that the chambers of industry and commerce will perform public tasks.

history

Commercial assistant letter from the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1951

The history of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce begins with the establishment of the "Handelsvorstand" on November 8, 1797 in Cologne.

In 1794, the history of Cologne as a free imperial city ended with the entry of Napoleonic troops - from 1801 the city and the entire Rhineland belonged to the French Republic. In France , following an order from Napoleon I, the first chambers of commerce were established in 1802 - the "Chambre de Commerce" in Cologne was the first chamber to be established in what was later to be Prussian and German territory in 1803 and into which the commercial board was absorbed. The Cologne Chamber of Commerce is thus the oldest, continuously existing German Chamber of Commerce.

The district of the Chamber of Commerce was expanded to include the district of Cologne in 1891. In the course of the incorporation of the city of Mülheim am Rhein , the Mülheim Chamber of Commerce was dissolved on April 1, 1914 and merged with the Cologne Chamber of Commerce on May 27, 1914. With the areas on the left and right of the Rhine, the IHK Bonn was part of the IHK Cologne from 1934 to 1945 - in 1943 today's Oberbergische Kreis was added and in 1977 Leverkusen was added. Due to the continuous expansion of the organization of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, more and more companies supported the work - the most important entrepreneurs were appointed presidents. Gradually, solely voluntary commitment by entrepreneurs was no longer enough. In 1862 Hermann Weibezahn was appointed the first full-time in-house counsel , today the general manager.

After the transfer of power to the National Socialists, the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce was brought into line in 1933 and the president and general manager replaced. In 1943 the chambers of industry and commerce were dissolved across the empire; they were replaced by the Gau economic chambers. After the Second World War , the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce resumed operations on May 25, 1945; the general assembly met again on May 5, 1947.

The Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce had been at "Unter Sachsenhausen 4" since 1932, and the building went down in a hail of bombs in June 1943. A new building, designed by the architect Karl Hell , was erected at “Unter Sachsenhausen 10-26” and inaugurated on February 4, 1952, as the north-south route was planned at the previous location . The tasks of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce expanded increasingly. With the IHK law of 1956, the IHKs finally found their legal basis. After the reunification, the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce actively helped to set up IHKs in the new federal states. Cologne entrepreneurs have always been involved in the nationwide umbrella association of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK). Otto Wolff von Amerongen, President of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce 1966–1990, was President of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) from 1969–1988. Paul Bauwens-Adenauer, former President of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was also Vice President of the DIHK.

Personalities

Presidents

literature

  • Mathieu Schwann: History of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce . Neubner, Cologne 1906.
  • Hermann Kellenbenz , Klara van Eyll : The history of entrepreneurial self-administration in Cologne 1797–1914. Rheinisch-Westfälisches Wirtschaftsarchiv, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-933025-00-1 .
  • Klara van Eyll, Friedrich W. Henning, Günther Schulz, Ulrich S. Soénius, Jürgen Weise: The history of entrepreneurial self-administration in Cologne 1914–1997. Rheinisch-Westfälisches Wirtschaftsarchiv, Cologne, 1997, ISBN 3-933025-01-X .

Web links

Commons : Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The district of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce .
  2. ↑ Elections to the Parliament of the Economy ( Memento of the original from October 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln.de
  3. ↑ Ulf Reichardt leaves the Cologne Chamber of Commerce. Accessed May 31, 2020 .
  4. ↑ The General Assembly elects Nicole Grünewald as the new President. Retrieved January 29, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Ulf Reichardt leaves the Cologne Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved May 27, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Training and further education ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de
  7. ↑ Start- up assistance and business support ( memento of the original from September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de
  8. ↑ ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , International. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de
  9. ↑ ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Location policy. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de
  10. ↑ ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Innovation environment. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de
  11. ↑ ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Law and taxes. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de
  12. ↑ Supervision area of ​​the Oberbergischer Kreis branch
  13. ↑ Leverkusen care area
  14. ↑ Supervision area of ​​the Rhein-Erft-Kreis branch ( memento of the original dated December 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ihk-koeln.de
  15. ↑ Annual Report 2015 ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Balance sheet. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ihk-koeln-geschaeftsbericht.de
  16. ↑ Business Articles 2011 (PDF file; 21 kB).
  17. ↑ Who we are , DIHK.
  18. ↑ Legal bases .
  19. ↑ BVerfG, decision of December 7, 2001 , Az. 1 BvR 1806/98, full text.
  20. ↑ BVerfG, press release No. 4/02 of January 17, 2002.
  21. ↑ ihk-koeln.de: Findbuch 1862 to 1910 , accessed on August 14, 2015
  22. ^ Wolfram Hagspiel , Hiltrud Kier : Cologne. Architecture of the 50s . In: City of Cologne (Hrsg.): Stadtspuren - Monuments in Cologne . tape 6 . JP Bachem , Cologne 1986, ISBN 3-7616-0858-6 , p. 45 (With historical photos and new photos by Dorothea Heiermann).
  23. ^ History of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce
  24. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Corinna Schulz: Chamber Flicker; For the first time, Nicole Grünewald has a woman at the top of the IHK. What the new president is up to . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger . No. 25 . Cologne January 30, 2020, p. 9 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 56 '34.1 "  N , 6 ° 57' 4.1"  E