Germany: Commission publishes revised Corporate Governance Code

Last year the Corporate Governance Code Commission consulted on proposed amendments to the German Corporate Governance Code. The consultation period has ended and the Commission has now published the final amendments it will make to the Code: see here (in English).  A copy of the new Code, in German, is available here. A copy of the new Code, in English, has not yet been published.

Of interest are the amendments being made to the Code's preamble. The revised preamble explains that good governance, based upon a social market economy, requires more than adherence to the law: it requires ethical behaviour from the 'honourable business person' (Ehrbarer Kaufmann). The preamble also stresses what is expected from institutional investors: they should exercise their rights actively and responsibly, respecting the concept of sustainability.

Update (7 May 2017) - on 21 April the new edition was published in the Federal Gazette: see here.