News

The Federal Government has now submitted a draft of the 12th ARC Amendment (“RevisedARC Draft”). Compared to the preliminary draft of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (“BMWE ARC Draft”), many of the planned changes remain in place, while at the same time there are important adjustments—particularly regarding merger control—as well as new regulations for the press and agricultural sectors. We provide an overview of the most significant changes and their practical implications.

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With its 21st package of sanctions, the EU has once again tightened its sanctions against Russia, with a particular focus on the financial and energy sectors, export controls and the circumvention of existing sanctions. At the same time, the legal remedies available to European companies have been strengthened. We provide an overview of the key changes and explain what companies should now be aware of.

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The Monopolies Commission considers antitrust law oversight in the defence sector to be broadly effective, but identifies a clear need for reform in the areas of public procurement and contracting. Particular attention is drawn to barriers to market entry, increasing market concentration and shortcomings in European defence procurement. This article highlights the developments in competition and public procurement law that companies in the defence sector should keep an eye on in future.

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Three months after opening its Munich office, Oppenhoff has reached an important milestone in expanding its presence in southern Germany. With further new recruits, the team has now grown to 24 lawyers. These new recruits expand the range of advisory services offered, particularly in the areas of employment law, corporate/M&A, venture capital, and competition and state aid law, and underline the firm’s full-service approach.

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The Right to Repair Directive (EU) 2024/1799 further supplements the law on the sale of goods: the Directive aims to create incentives for the repair of defective goods and to prevent the premature disposal of products that can be repaired. The German legislature has transposed the Directive by the deadline of 31 July 2026. The corresponding implementing legislation came into force on 23 July 2026 and brings with it far-reaching changes for sellers and manufacturers of goods.

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To what extent does the right to information under the Pay Transparency Act apply? The Federal Labour Court has clarified key issues regarding the temporal scope and the company-specific reference framework of this right. At the same time, the judgement makes it clear that the forthcoming implementation of the European Pay Transparency Directive is likely to bring about significant changes.

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With the new Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act, the legislature is paving the way for a fundamental restructuring of the German electricity market. In future, remuneration will be paid not only for electricity generation but also for the provision of guaranteed capacity. This opens up new opportunities, particularly for operators of flexible power stations, storage facilities and load management solutions. At the same time, new regulatory requirements and investment incentives are emerging. This article explains the key provisions of the Act and highlights the opportunities now available to businesses.

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Oppenhoff provided comprehensive legal advice to the shareholders of the internationally active stoba Group (Backnang, Germany) on the proposed sale of all shares in the company to PHINIA Inc. (Michigan, USA).

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European digital regulation continues to evolve: with the draft Cloud and AI Development Act, the new AI Omnibus, landmark rulings by the European Court of Justice and the Munich Regional Court I, and the announced data protection reforms, numerous new requirements and opportunities are emerging for businesses. The focus is on digital sovereignty, AI compliance, the handling of data protection rights, liability for AI-generated content and the future shape of data protection law. Find out which developments businesses should be keeping an eye on right now and what is particularly important in practice.

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Dr. Marc Hilber and Dr. Regina Engelstädter will jointly assume leadership of the Aerospace & Defence sector group effective 1 July 2026. They succeed Michael Abels, who built and successfully led the group over many years. Over the past four decades, Michael Abels has been involved in virtually all major defence projects, laying the foundation for our sector group as it exists today, which now comprises more than 40 professionals.

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Dr. Jürgen Hartung will take over as head of the IT & Data Law Practice Group effective 1 July 2026. He succeeds Dr. Marc Hilber, who previously headed the practice group and will, going forward, jointly lead the Aerospace & Defence Practice Group together with Dr. Regina Engelstädter.

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Dr. Philipp Heinrichs übernimmt zum 1. Juli 2026 die Leitung der Sektorgruppe Automotive und Mobility. Er folgt auf Stephan König, der die Sektorgruppe bislang geleitet hat.

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The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg), has updated the guidance note on the classification of loitering munitions and drones as weapons of war. The new version, dated 25 June 2026, replaces the previous version published on 1 December 2025. The revision is intended to address the difficulties in drawing clear distinctions that have arisen in practice.

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Effective 1 July 2026, Oppenhoff is appointing its first Counsel from within the firm. The Counsel position was introduced on 1 January 2026 as part of the firm’s enhanced career structure. Marco Degginger, Caterina Hanke and Annabelle Marceau have been appointed as Counsel.

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Oppenhoff is expanding its existing Corporate/M&A capabilities with a market-leading Venture Capital, Private Equity and M&A team in Munich.

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Oppenhoff continues the expansion of its Munich office and has won Dr. Thomas Fischl, a leading expert in IT and data law, as a partner. He joins Oppenhoff from Reed Smith effective 1 July 2026.

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Oppenhoff continues to expand its employment law team at its Munich office. Effective July 1, 2026, Dr. Johannes Oehlschläger will join the team as counsel. He is moving from Seitz to Oppenhoff. A further expansion of the team with a Senior Associate is planned for later this summer.

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What labour law developments should international employers have on their radar? In this edition of our International Employment Law Newsletter, we highlight key recent German labour law decisions and regulatory trends, focusing on the practical implications for multinational organisations, international HR functions and cross-border workforce management.

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The PPWR has been a key focus for businesses since it entered into force in February 2025. Determining the respective roles of the various economic operators within the supply chain is likely to present signifi-cant challenges for many businesses. From 12 August 2026, a substantial number of the Regulation’s provisions will become applicable. In complex supply chains involving multiple economic operators, clearly distinguishing between the respective roles and responsibilities can be particularly challenging. Additional uncertainty arises from the phased application of the PPWR’s provisions.

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The Federal Government has submitted a draft bill to implement Directive (EU) 2024/1203 on the protection of the environment through criminal law. Against this backdrop, the Federal Council is using its opportunity to issue an opinion to propose a significantly more far-reaching initiative: It suggests that requirements for compliance management systems under the German regulatory offense law be specified in law.

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The deadline for transposing the European Pay Transparency Directive has passed, yet a German transposition law has still not been enacted. For companies, this is by no means a green light: labour courts are already increasingly aligning themselves with European guidelines. Find out in our new article what impact this may have on rights to information, remuneration systems and the assessment of pay gaps, and why companies should review their processes now.

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Oppenhoff advised CordenPharma on the acquisition of the peptide CDMO AmbioPharm.

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König + Neurath AG has successfully completed its self-administration proceedings and laid the groundwork for the company’s long-term continuation.

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On 4 June 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (“BMWE”) presented a comprehensive reform package in the form of the draft bill (“ARC Draft”) for the 12th Amendment to the ARC. Overall, the aim is to make antitrust proceedings faster and more efficient. Among other things, the notification thresholds for merger control are to be raised, merger control, anti-trust administrative and fine proceedings are to be digitised and streamlined, the legal remedies against ministerial authorisation are to be expanded, and a so-called procurement screening is to be introduced. Below, we provide a structured overview of the most practice-relevant proposed amendments in the draft bill.

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Oppenhoff advised Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. on all legal aspects of the divestment of the HKO Group, a manufacturer of technical textiles and high-temperature insulation products, to a fund managed by DUBAG Group.

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