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ARTICLE · 16 MARCH 2015

Germany Introduces Rules on Female Quota for Supervisory Boards

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Germany introduces a statutory minimum quota for female representatives on supervisory boards of co-determined (50/50), listed companies.

GermanyCorporate/Commercial Law
Dr. Ulrike Binder
Dr. Ulrike Binder
Guido Zeppenfeld, LLM
Guido Zeppenfeld, LLM
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Germany introduces a statutory minimum quota for female representatives on supervisory boards of co-determined (50/50), listed companies. In addition, the new law obligates numerous companies to observe rules regarding the composition of their supervisory boards and leadership positions. On 6 March 2015 the German parliament (Bundestag) passed the "Act on Equal Participation of Women and Men regarding Leadership Positions within the Sectors of Private Economy and Public Service" ("Gesetz für die gleichberechtigte Teilhabe von Frauen und Männern an Führungspositionen in der Privatwirtschaft und im öffentlichen Dienst").

The Act introduces a legally binding quota in Germany for the first time. At least 30% of the members of supervisory boards of publicly listed companies with 50/50 co-determined supervisory boards, i.e. supervisory boards in which half of the members are employee representatives, will need to be female.

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