EU MEMBERS > GERMANY Germany business environment Doing business in Germany KEY FACTS As Europes largest economy and

second most populous nation, Germany is a key member of the continents economic, political, and defense organizations. The German economy is heavily export-oriented; as of 2008, Germany is the worlds leading exporter of merchandise, and exports account for more than one-third of national output. (CIA World Factbook) Currency: EUR Key exchange rates: EUR/USD 1.33 EUR/GBP 0.82 EUR/JPY 118.14 Interest rate: 1% Current inflation: 2.8% Inflation target: 2% Tax rate: 19% Major German owned companies: Allianz Allianz is the largest financial services provider in the world, and is based in Munich, Germany. The companys main focus is insurance. Allianz is the second largest international insurance and financial services organization in the world. Daimler A German car corporation, Daimler is a globally leading producer of premium passenger cars and the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the world. The Daimler Financial Services division has a broad offering of financial services, including vehicle financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management. Siemens Group Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors.

FIRST STOP Banking Deutsche Bundesbank Bundesbank is the central bank of Germany, and business areas include the Eurosystem monetary policy, as well as financial and monetary system, banking supervision, cashless payments and cash operations. Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong and profitable private clients franchise. A leader in Germany and Europe, the bank is powerful and growing in North America, Asia and key emerging markets. Legal Hengeler Mueller Hengeler Mueller is a partnership of lawyers with offices in Berlin, Dsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels and London. Hengeler Mueller specialises in offering high-end legal advice to companies in complex business transactions. The firm provides counsel to leading German and international industrial and commercial companies, private equity companies, banks, insurances and other financial service providers. CMS Hasche Sigle One of the largest law firms in Germany, offering highly qualified advice in every area of commercial law. Accounting Trinavis With nine partners and over 160 employees, TRINAVIS offers tax advisory and audit services to clients in Germany and to international companies for their business activities in Germany. German Public Auditors, Tax consultants and Lawyers work in unison to actively support our clients RverBrnner The merger of the Rver and Brnner Groups created one of the largest independent audit and tax accountancy firms in Germany. RverBrnner combines the experience of 6 and 9 decades in auditing and consulting and offers services in auditing, tax and management consulting, in addition to fund management and general trustee services.

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Capital: Berlin Official languages: German Government: federal republic EU accession: 1951 (founding member) Area: 357,027 km2 Population: 82,369,552 (July 2008 est.) Internet TLD: .de Calling code: +49