Chamber of Commerce and Industry Düsseldorf

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The Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Düsseldorf) is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Düsseldorf and the ten cities in the Mettmann district . The organization, founded in 1831, has around 86,000 member companies. Measured in terms of the number of member companies and economic strength, it is one of the largest of the 79 IHKs in Germany, although the chamber district is one of the smallest in terms of area.

Seat

IHK building
Space column by Erich Hauser in front of the IHK building

The IHK Düsseldorf is located at Ernst-Schneider- Platz 1, in downtown Düsseldorf in a building complex shared with the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange . There is an office in Velbert . In addition, a training center (FORUM) is maintained near Düsseldorf Central Station .

organization

General Assembly

The members elect the general assembly every five years with a turnout of around nine percent. In this way they determine 95 seats in an immediate election. The General Assembly can elect up to twelve additional seats to become members of the General Assembly by indirect election .

The election for the general assembly takes place in several classes, the so-called electoral groups. The factual justification for this group voting right in accordance with Section 5, Paragraph 3 of the IHK law is that the general assembly should reflect the economic structure in the IHK district. The division of the electoral groups is different in each chamber district and reflects the respective economic characteristics as well as the overall economic importance of the trade groups. Members can only elect candidates from their constituency. The President calls the General Assembly at least twice a year. It determines the guidelines of the IHK work and decides on questions that are of fundamental importance for the chamber's commercial economy or the work of the IHK. In particular, it adopts the economic plan and the economic statutes (amount of contributions) every year. Furthermore, it adopts all legal bases such as the statutes, election regulations and, in particular, the fee schedule (for example the amount of examination fees). In this way, the entrepreneurs elected by the member companies determine what the IHK does with the money, in particular how high the membership fees are and what priorities it sets in its work. The General Assembly elects the Presidium every five years. In addition, the General Assembly appoints the General Manager on the proposal of the Presidium. Before each election, the outgoing general assembly determines the number of seats for each electoral group.

Bureau

IHK President Andreas Schmitz and General Manager Gregor Berghausen (2018)

The Presidium consists of the President (term of office 2016–2021: Andreas Schmitz), a Deputy President (Vice President as permanent representative) and seven other Vice Presidents. The term of office has been five years since 2011 (previously four years). Re-election for the office of President is only possible once. The Presidium usually meets three times a year, advises chamber matters of a fundamental nature and prepares draft resolutions for the plenary assembly. The president represents the IHK externally together with the general manager.

Chief Executive

The chief executive of the business of the IHK Dusseldorf. He can bring drafts to the general assembly and alone decide on the hiring of new employees. He is responsible to the General Assembly, represented by the President, for the proper fulfillment of his duties. Gregor Berghausen has been General Manager since January 1, 2016.

Business areas

The IHK Düsseldorf is active in the following business areas:

  1. Location policy: trade and urban development, transport, services and creative industries, health economy, energy and environmental economy, site management and regional planning
  2. International: international markets, Russia Competence center Düsseldorf, customs law, trade policy, immigration law
  3. Business service: Legal advice, commercial register matters, commercial permits, business start-ups and business support, environmental and energy advice, innovation and technology advice, universities, technology transfer and digitization, securing skilled workers, inclusion advice, information on experts
  4. Vocational training and examinations: Vocational training, higher vocational training, vocational training marketing and projects, technical, specialist and trade law examinations, professional training in the IHK forum
  5. Administration and support: legal services, IT, infrastructure, services and data management, finances and contributions, property management and real estate management

Business figures 2019

The IHK Düsseldorf reports according to the rules of the Commercial Code and had total assets of around 82.0 million euros at the end of 2019. The total income was around EUR 28.0 million and around 2/3 came from membership fees, which are levied as basic fees and levies depending on the performance of the member companies. The basic contribution is between 38 and 665 euros per company, depending on the legal form with an exemption limit of 5,200 euros for trade income, below which no contribution is due. In addition, a surcharge is levied that is based on the commercial income. The contribution rate for member companies is 0.08 percent of trade income and is one of the lowest in Germany. In addition, the IHK has income from fees for the financing of legally assigned tasks, for example for examinations in initial vocational training. In addition, the IHK generates income from fees for seminars, courses and events and financial income. The IHK Düsseldorf employs 167 people, including 13 project positions and 43 part-time employees.

history

The beginnings

The origins of the IHK Düsseldorf go back to 1785, when the Düsseldorf merchants merged. From 1798 they elected the so-called trading board from among their number, which was supposed to represent the interests of the merchants. In 1801 the board of directors was institutionalized with the approval of Prince Maximilian I. The board of directors survived the subsequent Napoleonic rule, although the economic situation in Düsseldorf was not good due to France's annexation and customs policy and the economic and political consequences it triggered (→ Grand Duchy of Berg ). The representatives of the merchants' interests were correspondingly modest. An improvement in economic conditions became apparent with the signing of the Mainz Rhine Shipping Act of 1831. The executive board decided to give itself a new form of organization in order to better meet the requirements of the time.

Establishment of the Chamber of Commerce

On May 23, 1831, the Royal Chamber of Commerce in Düsseldorf was constituted. Mayor Philipp Schöller , who presided over the new Chamber of Commerce by royal order, invited all residents who paid at least 12 Taler trade tax to become members of the new Chamber of Commerce. 42 entrepreneurs got in touch and elected the commission agent and later operator of an iron foundry Franz Schimmelbusch as their first president. On November 5, 1831, the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce , based on the model of the first modern Chamber of Commerce in Barmen and Elberfeld , began its activities. An early field of activity was location policy with regard to suggestions for railway construction. It was not until the second half of the 1830s that industrialization began in Düsseldorf. In 1837 the Chamber of Commerce under its former President Schimmelbusch organized the first exhibition of industrial products on Flinger Strasse with 113 exhibitors, 37 of them from Düsseldorf. The exhibition is seen today as the beginning of the Düsseldorf trade fair tradition .

Change to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry

House of the Chamber of Commerce before 1904

From the mid-1860s, Düsseldorf developed into a location for industrial companies. Accordingly, industrialists such as the Poensgen , Piedboeuf or Ferdinand Heye families were increasingly influencing the Chamber of Commerce. In 1870 the chamber district was expanded to include the cities of Ratingen and Hilden and the municipality of Eckamp . In the same year, the organization moved into its own premises for the first time. The town hall had been subtenant since it was founded. In 1874, the President of the Chamber, G. Bloem, founded a private stock exchange association on the initiative of William Thomas Mulvany . On June 18, 1884, the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange was officially recognized, but at the same time withdrawn from the supervision of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1901 a separate building, Graf-Adolf-Straße 47, was built for the Chamber of Commerce for the first time . It was not until 1924 that the industrialization that had been going on for over half a century was reflected in the name; the Chamber of Commerce became the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Skilled workers' examinations were held from 1926, followed in 1935 by the commercial assistant exams.

time of the nationalsocialism

After coming to power of the Nazis and the Chambers of Commerce were brought into line . On March 28, 1933, negotiations took place between the local National Socialist Gauleitung and the Düsseldorf government president about the future of the chambers of industry and commerce in the Düsseldorf Gau. In the run-up to the plenary meeting of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was scheduled for the same day, NSDAP commissioners and the SA occupied the IHK office. The President Carl Rudolf Poensgen , who has been in office for 25 years, was forced to submit a declaration that he devoted to the regime after initial resistance. On April 12, 1933, Poensgen resigned from office in protest after the General Assembly had previously named him Honorary President. The members of the General Assembly also resigned. The regional economic advisor Josef Klein set himself up as the new president and appointed five commissioners. Since Klein was more of the national conservative camp and was also a confidante of Fritz Thyssen , most Düsseldorf entrepreneurs did not find it too difficult to come to terms with the new situation. The exclusion of the Jewish entrepreneurs and their boycott was accepted without further resistance. In 1942, the self-government finally came to an end when the IHK was absorbed into the Gau Chamber of Commerce .

After 1945

The reorganization of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry began as early as 1945 with the three departments of Industry, Trade and General. The first task was to solve the most urgent supply problems for companies. 80% of the trading companies and 40% of the production facilities were destroyed, as well as 50% of all buildings in Düsseldorf, including the IHK building itself. It was rebuilt and was ready for occupancy in 1951. In 1956, on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, the IHK founded the C. Rudolf Poensgen Foundation eV for the promotion of managers . In 1957 the new building on Berliner Allee was ready to move into. The square in front of the building was later named after the former President Ernst Schneider (1949–1968). In the course of the municipal reorganization in 1975, the chamber district was formed in its current form in 1977. From 1990 onwards one helped to rebuild the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce in the Düsseldorf twin city Chemnitz . The Forum training center was opened in 1994 in its own building at the main train station.

Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl College

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK), together with the city of Düsseldorf, joined the "Institute for the acquisition of university entrance qualifications for craftsmen, skilled workers and other professionals with completed training eV " in 1964 and has been the sponsor of the Wilhelm-Heinrich-Riehl-Kolleg since then .

Since the turn of the millennium

In 2006 the IHK Düsseldorf was 175 years old.

In 2019, the IHK Düsseldorf adopted a new, leaner structure: sovereign tasks (business area vocational training and examinations), industry support, company service, international and professional training (business area location policy) and the business area administration and support.

Personalities

President

literature

  • 175 years IHK Düsseldorf, 2006

Web links

Commons : IHK Düsseldorf  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. http://www.duesseldorf.ihk.de/produktmarken/Publikationen/Recht/M4_RE_Wahlordnung_IHK_Duesseldorf.pdf  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.duesseldorf.ihk.de  
  2. https://www.duesseldorf.ihk.de/servicemarken/ueber_uns/Haushalt_der_IHK_Duesseldorf/jahresabschluesse/jahresverbindungen2016/3404700  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.duesseldorf.ihk.de  
  3. https://www.duesseldorf.ihk.de/servicemarken/ueber_uns/Haushalt_der_IHK_Duesseldorf/Wirtschaftssatzungen/Wirtschaftssatzung_2016/2597236  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.duesseldorf.ihk.de  
  4. https://www.duesseldorf.ihk.de/blob/dihk24/servicemarken/downloads/3012122/4b75e0c7915a5b4a06ccaf23451604de/IHK_jahresbericht_2016-data.pdf
  5. ^ Hugo Weidenhaupt: First beginnings of modern economic life (1830–1845). In: Hugo Weidenhaupt (Ed.): Düsseldorf. History from the origins to the 20th century. Volume 2 . Schwann / Patmos, Düsseldorf 1988, ISBN 3-491-34221-X . Pp. 380-383.
  6. IHK Magazin Online: 175 years IHK Düsseldorf. Edition 2/2006. Queryed on February 5, 2010  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.duesseldorf.ihk.de  
  7. Peter Hüttenberger: Düsseldorf in the time of National Socialism. In: Hugo Weidenhaupt (Ed.): Düsseldorf. History from the origins to the 20th century. Volume 3 . Schwann / Patmos, Düsseldorf 1988, ISBN 3-491-34221-X . P. 336ff.