Corporate Acquisitions and Mergers in Germany

The mergers and acquisitions market in Germany is the second largest in the European Union (EU). Economic recovery has revitalised mergers and acquisitions activity. The number of transactions increases each year. German companies have become attractive targets. Foreign investors outside the EU stand to gain access to Europe's largest national market as well as to the whole of the EU market. At the same time, many German companies have acquired the financial muscle to fund their own expansions.

<p class=copymedium>Most business activity in Germany is through medium-sized companies, often extraordinarily profitable. Some 300,000 of them, family-run and facing problems of succession, may come up for sale by the year 2000. The German attitude towards foreign investment is liberal, setting the scene for a high level of mergers and acquisitions activity.

<p class=copymedium>This meticulous guide covers both the background and the details of mergers and acquisitions, including:

<li class=copymedium>review of the corporate environment and regulatory framework; <li class=copymedium>consideration of merger control and antitrust provisions in the EU context; <li class=copymedium>examination of the practicalities of takeover, including methods for financing and the necessary legal steps; <li class=copymedium>explanation of German labour laws (the German workforce plays an active role in business organisation); and <li class=copymedium>discussion of acquisitions in the former East Germany, now covered by West German law.

<p class=copymedium>This is a revised edition of a work that gained wide respect in its first edition. Its clear explanations and accessible approach make it an essential reference for all parties concerned with mergers and acquisitions activity in Germany or attracted by its expanding mergers and acquisitions market.