BERLIN – Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that will make it easier for authorities to prevent foreign takeovers of strategically important companies.
The changes are meant to bring rules in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, in line with a year-old European Union directive on screening foreign investment.
The plans pre-date the coronavirus crisis, but come as the German government has vowed to “stand by our companies” in the face of investors who might now hope to acquire firms cheaply.
The new rules, which require parliamentary approval, will lower the threshold for examining and blocking potential takeovers.