International
About us
The Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Köln) is an institution financed by traders, merchants and private companies; statutory membership and fees enable it to represent the general interests of industry, trade and the service sector.
What we do
The Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI / IHK Köln) advises companies on location, tax and economic issues. For example, it provides expert opinions on business start-ups and the granting of public loans. As a corporation under public law, the CCI performs the tasks entrusted to it independently and under its own responsibility. It liaises with government bodies, public authorities, parliaments and courts. This dialogue benefits both sides: the state draws on the chamber’s economic expertise, while the chamber helps strengthen the region’s economic power.
CCI Cologne is actively involved in vocational training and qualification. It is responsible for training in approximately 175 occupational profiles and offers advice on all aspects of continuation training. Its range of services is rounded off by extensive consulting, information and mediation services.
Founded in 1797, CCI Cologne is one the continuously existing chamber in Germany, and its economic region has an impact far beyond its own borders. The diversity of sectors ranges from automotive and mechanical engineering to chemicals and biotechnology, insurance and trade, as well as ICT companies and the media. Manufacturing in the CCI Cologne district generates around 55 per cent of its turnover abroad, making it the most internationally oriented sector. As an innovative, research-intensive science location, the CCI district of Cologne is home to a number of higher education institutions. The chamber district includes the cities of Cologne and Leverkusen as well as the districts of Oberberg, Rhein-Berg and Rhein-Erft. Around 150,000 to 155,000 companies are members of the chamber.
How we are organized
The Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a corporation under public law. Anyone who is commercially active in the Cologne region automatically becomes a member, with the exception of skilled crafts businesses, tax advisors or attorneys and agricultural enterprises, which have their own chambers. The CCI is financed by the membership fees paid by its member companies.
The supreme body of CCI Cologne is the General Assembly, the “parliament of business”, whose members are elected every five years by the member companies.
The General Assembly elects the president and nine vice-presidents from among its members. In addition, committees are formed to deal with specific issues such as international business, taxes and law, environment and energy. The General Assembly, the president and the committees serve on an honorary basis.
The permanent staff of CCI Cologne are managed by the chief executive officer, who is appointed by the General Assembly. Together with the president, the chief executive officer represents the chamber externally. The permanent employees work in departments organized according to areas of responsibility.