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International Handbook of Cooperative Law pp 413–429Cite as

Germany

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Abstract

The German Cooperative Societies Act of 1889 with amendments up to 2006 follows the design of Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch, perceiving the cooperative society as a special legal form of business association with the objective of member-promotion governed by a law applicable to all types of cooperatives. Most amendments of this Act were made to meet the needs of growing cooperative societies with regard to membership, financial and governance aspects. The important role of federations as well as audit and control mechanisms remained largely unchanged. There are general trends to approximate cooperative law to company law and to replace special provisions designed for special legal types by general law applicable to all forms of organisation, irrespective of their legal form. It is shown how these trends have blurred the originally clear profile of cooperative societies as a distinct legal pattern. In 2006 new provisions for small cooperatives were introduced. Under the Cooperative Societies Act cooperative societies are given a wide margin of autonomy to adapt their by-laws to the needs of the individual society, but there is the danger that special features of cooperatives as self-help organisations for the promotion of their members’ interests - which are the sources of cooperative strength – will be lost.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Paulick (1956): an association of persons without a view to profit; Münkner (1993): a hybrid type between association and partnership; Weber (1984): an association with economic objectives.

  2. 2.

    Beuthien (2011), §8 RZ (i.e., number of annotation) 7; abolition of §8 par. 2 GenG.

  3. 3.

    §6 GenG n. 3: Details to be included in the by-laws: The by-laws shall include details stipulating whether members are liable for additional contributions, should the creditors’ claims not be satisfied in the event of bankruptcy. If so, whether these are unlimited or limited to a specific sum (amount of liability).

  4. 4.

    §73 GenG par. 3: Disputes with former members: The by-laws may provide that members, having paid up their share in full, may, in the event of withdrawal, claim payment of a portion of the revenue reserve which is required to be created for this purpose from the annual surplus. The by-laws may make this claim contingent on a minimum period during which the members must have belonged to the cooperative society, and it may make additional requirements and restrict the claim. Payment of claims is subject to section 2 sub-clause 1.

  5. 5.

    Cf. Beuthien (1989), pp. 8ff.

  6. 6.

    Beuthien (2011), XLVII.

  7. 7.

    ZfgG 1973, pp. 10, 17 and 27.

  8. 8.

    Geschwandtner and Helios (2006), 23.

  9. 9.

    The total number of eGs in Germany in 2010 was 7,619, with 20.7 million members, down from 9,094 cooperatives with 20.5 million members in the year 2000, with more than 300 cooperatives newly formed in 2011.

  10. 10.

    Beuthien (2011), RZ 68, pp. 1126, 1127. §§2 UmwG,.

  11. 11.

    Beuthien (2011), §77 GenG RZ 1, pp. 856, 857.

  12. 12.

    Beuthien (2011), §§2 UmwG ff., RZ 68, pp. 1127.

  13. 13.

    Beuthien (2011), Einleitung, RZ 13 (e), XLVI.

  14. 14.

    Beuthien (2011), §19 GenG RZ 14, pp. 339, 340.

  15. 15.

    Helios and Weber (2006), 212.

  16. 16.

    Beuthien (2011), §19 GenG, RZ 28, pp. 347.

  17. 17.

    Beuthien (2011), §33 GenG RZ 1, pp. 460.

  18. 18.

    §9 par. 2 GenG reads as follows: The board of directors and the supervisory council shall be composed exclusively of members of the cooperative society. Should registered cooperative societies have joined the cooperative society as members or should the cooperative society consist exclusively of such registered cooperative societies, members of the latter may be appointed members of the board of directors and supervisory council.

  19. 19.

    Beuthien (2011), §53 GenG, RZ 12, pp. 664; Geschwandtner and Helios (2006) pp. 151.

  20. 20.

    Beuthien (2011), §55 GenG, RZ 4, pp. 690.

  21. 21.

    Beuthien (2011), §1 UmwG, RZ 6, pp. 1046, 1047.

  22. 22.

    Beuthien (2011), §§2ff. UmwG, RZ 36.

  23. 23.

    Helios and Weber (2006), pp. 211; Lang and Weidmüller (2011), §19 GenG Rz. 25–38; pp. 234–239.

  24. 24.

    Beuthien (2011), §1 GenG, RZ 178, pp. 132, 133; Helios and Weber (2006), pp. 217ff.

References

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Further Reading

  • Beuthien V (2013) Die eingetragene Genossenschaft – Idee und Wirklichkeit (The registered cooperative society – idea and reality), Marburger Schriften zur genossenschaftlichen Kooperationswesen 112; Nomos, Baden-Baden

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  • Helios M, Strieder T (eds) (2009) Beck’sches Handbuch der Genossenschaft, Recht, Steuern, Rechnungslegung (Beck’s handbook of the cooperative society, law, tax, accounting). C.H. Beck, München

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  • Münkner H-H (1994) Fördermitglieder, Investorenmitglieder und externe Anteilseigner – neue Ansätze zur Milderung der strukturellen Schwächen im Finanzierungsbereich (Supporting members, investing members and external shareholders – new approaches to coping with structural weaknesses in fundraising. In: Steding R (ed) Genossenschaftsrecht im Spannungsfeld von Bewahrung und Veränderung (Cooperative law between conservation and change). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, pp 83–106

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  • Münkner H-H (2000) Reformen des Genossenschaftsrechts als Reaktionen auf die Herausforderungen des wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Wandels (Reform of cooperative laws as reactions on the challenges of economic and social change). In: Thiemann B (ed) Die Genossenschaften an der Jahrtausendwende (Cooperatives at the turn of the millennium), Veröffentlichungen der DG BANK Deutsche Genossenschaftsbank Band, vol 21, Fritz Knapp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, pp 114–135

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  • Münkner H-H (2008) Typverfremdung und Demutualisierung (Alienation and demutualisation). In: Münkner H-H, Ringle G (eds) Alleinstellungsmerkmale genossenschaftlicher Kooperation – der Unterschied zählt (Unique features of co-operation along cooperative lines – it is the difference that counts), vol 107, Marburger Schriften zum Genossenschaftswesen. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, pp 259–287

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  • Schaffland H-J (2001) Änderungen des Genossenschaftsgesetzes aus der Sicht der Praxis (Amending cooperative law from the perspective of practising co-operators). In: ZfgG Bd. 51 (2001), pp 208ff

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  • Steding R (2002) Das Recht der eingetragenen Genossenschaft – Ein Überblick (The law of registered cooperative societies – a survey), Berliner Beiträge zum Genossenschaftswesen Nr. 55, Institut für Genossenschaftswesen an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (ed) Berlin

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Organisations and Cooperative Economics, Department of Economics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    Hans-H. Münkner (Professor emeritus of Law)

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  1. Hans-H. Münkner
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Correspondence to Hans-H. Münkner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Dante Cracogna

  2. University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy

    Antonio Fici

  3. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Hagen Henrÿ

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Münkner, HH. (2013). Germany. In: Cracogna, D., Fici, A., Henrÿ, H. (eds) International Handbook of Cooperative Law. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30129-2_18

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