The German federal government has adopted a draft bill to modernize German cooperative law. According to a press release issued by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV), the draft bill adopted on July 15, 2026, is intended to accelerate the formation of cooperatives, further promote digitalization, and strengthen safeguards against the misuse of the cooperative legal form.
In particular, the draft bill provides for the following key changes:
Following two requests from Luxembourg for a preliminary ruling the European Court of Justice held that the national provision whereby the information on the beneficial ownership of companies incorporated within the EU is accessible in all cases and to any member of the general public to be invalid.
The finance ministry has decreed that a German resident British company struck off the British register of companies will be treated as having entered into liquidation.
