Hogan Lovells launches new German foreign investment control guide

Hogan Lovells has launched a German foreign investment control guide. The legal tech tool helps companies identify whether an international M&A transaction is likely to trigger German Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) screening.

The BRYTER-based application allows both parties in an M&A transaction to quickly and easily assess whether they require regulatory approval in Germany. Germany has been at the forefront of reviewing transactions from a public security perspective and recent proposals to expand foreign investment control. It has also passed six significant reforms of FDI regulations since 2017. The last reform alone introduced 16 groups of activities subject to additional screening, leading to a total of 27 target activities subject to mandatory FDI filings in Germany.

“Our guide leverages the vast experience of our global team and aims to ease the complex maze of regulations surrounding the German FDI regime,” said Hogan Lovells partner Falk Schoning, an expert in German FDI procedures. “We hope that the app will significantly ease the screening process for our clients.”

With a longer list of activities subject to regulatory approval, it has become more difficult for buyers, sellers and target companies to identify whether a transaction meets the newly introduced criteria. The new guided app offers a simple solution to ease the screening process.

“The new guide is incredibly helpful and easy to use. We are excited to be providing this tool for our clients,” said Mark Brennan, Hogan Lovells’ lead innovation partner.