Handwerkskammer Koblenz
HwK Koblenz
Die Handwerkskammer Koblenz ist die Selbstverwaltungseinrichtung des Handwerks im nördlichen Rheinland-Pfalz und damit Partner von rund 22.000 Betrieben.
ID: 716456240763-43
Lobbying Activity
Response to General revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation
2 Sept 2025
Die Handwerkskammer Koblenz vertritt die Interessen von rund 21.900 Mitgliedsbetrieben aus dem nördlichen Rheinland-Pfalz/Deutschland. Die Mehrzahl unserer Mitglieder sind Kleinstbetriebe mit etwa 10 Beschäftigten. Als Interessenvertretung sehen wir es als unsere Aufgabe an, die Sichtweisen dieser Unternehmen in die Diskussionen zur Überarbeitung dieser Verordnung einzubringen. Bitte berücksichtigen Sie dazu auch unsere Ausführungen in dem beigefügten Dokument.
Read full responseResponse to Clean corporate vehicles
25 Aug 2025
Die Handwerkskammer Koblenz vertritt die Interessen von rund 21.900 Mitgliedsbetrieben aus dem nördlichen Rheinland-Pfalz/Deutschland. Die Mehrzahl unserer Mitglieder sind Kleinstbetriebe mit etwa 10 Beschäftigten. Als Interessenvertretung sehen wir es als unsere Aufgabe an, die Sichtweisen dieser Unternehmen in die Diskussionen zur Schaffung dieser Richtlinie einzubringen. Bitte berücksichtigen Sie dazu auch unsere Ausführungen in dem beigefügten Dokument.
Read full responseMeeting with Jutta Paulus (Member of the European Parliament)
5 Apr 2025 · Meisterfeier
Response to Taxonomy Delegated Acts – amendments to make reporting simpler and more cost-effective for companies
25 Mar 2025
The Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trade in Koblenz represents the interests of approximately 21,900 mem-ber businesses from the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). The majority of our members are micro-enterprises, typically employing around 10 people. As an interest group, we consider it our responsibil-ity to ensure that the perspectives and concerns of these businesses are reflected in the ongoing discus-sions on the further development of the above-mentioned regulation. First and foremost, we welcome the VSME standard in the context of the CSRD and strongly advocate for its widespread implementation across Member States. Achieving this goal requires political support. Broad adoption of this standard would not only enhance transparency but also enable small and micro-enterprises to actively participate in sustainability reporting without being hindered by excessive bureaucratic burdens. Moreover, we appreciate the decision to refrain from introducing sector-specific standards. Such standards would have added unnecessary bureaucracy and complexity to administrative structures that are already under significant strain. A unified standard applicable to all businesses is of great importance to us, as it improves both comparability and the practical application of regulatory requirements. As many SMEs have already undertaken preparations for sustainability reporting, it is imperative to reach a timely agreement. Delays could risk undermining the efforts and resources that businesses have already invested in this area. A clear and swiftly implemented legal framework is essential to maintaining business engagement and motivation. With regard to the Taxonomy Regulation, we welcome the decision to limit obligations to the direct business partner level (Tier 1). This is a key step in clarifying corporate responsibilities while avoiding ex-cessive liability risks. Furthermore, we support the provision that companies with fewer than 500 employees will not be required to provide information beyond the voluntary VSME standard. This helps prevent smaller businesses from facing excessive obligations that may strain their resources. Lastly, we emphasize the need for further simplifications concerning the EUDR (European Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products). Regulatory requirements must be designed in a way that ensures they are feasible for small and micro-enterprises without jeopardizing their economic viability.
Read full responseResponse to COM Prop Regulation EP+EC for public interface to IMI for posting of workers declaration + SWD
29 Jan 2025
The Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trade in Koblenz represents the interests of around 21,900 member businesses from the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). We support the European Commissions proposal for a regulation on a public interface to the Internal Market Information System (IMI) for reporting the posting of workers, as well as the amendment of Regulation 1024/2012/EU. Please find attached our statement to this consultation.
Read full responseResponse to Single Market Strategy 2025
23 Jan 2025
The Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trade in Koblenz represents the interests of around 21,900 member businesses from the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). We strongly and comprehensively support the goal of reducing and eliminating bureaucratic obstacles in the European Single market. Please find attached our statement to this consultation.
Read full responseResponse to Rationalisation of reporting requirements
27 Nov 2023
In ihrer Rede zur Lage der Union am 13. September 2023 räumte EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen der Stärkung der europäischen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit eine zentrale Position ein und legte ein sogenanntes Entlastungspaket für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen vor. Dies begrüßen wir sehr und halten die darin genannten Maßnahmen und deren Umsetzung für prioritär in der europäischen Wirtschaftspolitik. Es gibt bereite umfangreiche Dokumentations- und Nachweispflichten, zusätzlich werden aktuell auf europäischer Ebene verschiedene Gesetzgebungsverfahren behandelt, die dazu führen könnten, dass die bürokratischen Belastungen für KMU in der nahen Zukunft noch weiter steigen. Hierzu gehört beispielsweise die Richtlinie zur Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung (CSRD); wir begrüßen zwar die Schaffung des freiwilligen Berichtstandards für KMU (VSME), jedoch ist dieser noch nicht fertiggestellt. Somit ergibt sich eine zeitliche Diskrepanz zwischen der Veröffentlichung des VSME und der Berichtspflicht für große Unternehmen ab 01.01.2025 (Gefahr des trickle-down-Effekts. Diese Unternehmen werden bereits ab dem kommenden Jahr kleine Unternehmen um Informationen bitten voraussichtlich um weit mehr Informationen als der VSME vorsieht. Wir möchten daher nochmals eine zeitliche Fristenkonkruenz für alle Wirtschaftsakteure betonen. Parallel dazu wird das EU-Lieferkettengesetz verhandelt: es ist davon auszugehen, dass auch hier zusätzliche Dokumentationspflichten erforderlich sein werden, die sich teilweise mit den Dokumentationspflichten aus der CSRD überschneiden. Hier gilt es Doppelstrukturen zu vermeiden und den Arbeitsaufwand insgesamt für Unternehmen oberhalb und unterhalb des Anwendungsbereichs im geringstmöglichen Rahmen zu halten. Gleiches gilt auch für die Taxonomieverordnung. Weiterhin möchten wir in dieser Konsultation den Vorschlag für eine Verpackungsverordnung nennen. Dieser Vorschlag beinhaltet Anforderungen an nachhaltige Verpackungslösungen verbunden mit dem Ziel der deutlichen Steigerung der Recyclingfähigkeit von Verpackungen. Für Handwerksbetriebe, die typischerweise Kleinserien oder Unikate produzieren, bedarf es besonderer Regeln, um eine im Verhältnis zu Massenprodukten sehr viel größere Belastung zu vermeiden. Insgesamt hat die deutliche Ausweitung der bürokratischen Anforderungen in den vergangenen Jahren dazu geführt, dass im Handwerk personelle und finanzielle Ressourcen gebunden wurden, die dringend für Innovationen und gute Lösungen im Sinne der Kreislaufwirtschaft benötigt werden.
Read full responseResponse to Revision of EU rules on textile labelling
28 Sept 2023
The Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trade in Koblenz represents the interests of around 21,000 member companies in the northern Rhineland-Palatinate/Germany. We thank for the opportunity to comment on the planned amendment of the present regulation. In principle, we are in favour of transparency in textiles along the entire supply chains. We share the view that there is sometimes a lack of information on labels that helps consumers to make a purchase and usage decision in terms of sustainability. Consumers need verifiable information about the composition of a garment and the resulting environmental impacts. However, isimplified procedures are needed for individual and micro-series production by small and medium-sized enterprises. Here we refer to the think-small-first principle: small businesses are disproportionately affected by bureaucracy. In many cases, they have to fulfil identical requirements as large companies without having anywhere near comparable resources. We therefore reject additional bureaucratic requirements for SMEs in the future for the labelling of textiles. Especially textile designers in smaller businesses often work locally, offer high-quality production and thus strengthen local supply - also and especially in rural regions. Furthermore, we would like to note that special regulations should be made for the upcycling of textiles. In the current regulation, second-hand clothing, for example, is exempt; such an exemption would also be conceivable for upcycling. In our view, simplified labelling would be a feasible way forward for individual one-off and small-scale production (possibly also taking into account the SME definition). The fibre content of these textiles varies greatly and is sometimes not even known to the designers. They obtain the materials from various sources, and some of them are also donated textiles. The current possibility in the regulation to take multi-component products into account does not help here, as the percentages are either not known or could only be proven with great effort and comparatively much documentation. The upcycling of textiles can be a way to contribute to a circular economy in this sector. We therefore welcome legal framework conditions that can further strengthen this type of textile production. Finally, we would like to emphasise that a purely European solution for this sector cannot be effective on its own. Control mechanisms against importers and manufacturers from third countries are needed to ensure compliance with the new and future regulations on European soil.
Read full responseResponse to European Sustainability Reporting Standards
3 Jul 2023
The Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trade in Koblenz represents the interests of around 21,000 member businesses from the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). Our member businesses are mostly micro-enterprises with an average number of employees of about 10 people. We therefore initially welcome the fact that SMEs are excluded from the CSRD. However, it is already the case that these small businesses also receive disclosure requests from banks and large companies they are doing business with. This "trickle-down effect" is likely to place significant pressures and additional bureaucratic burden on SMEs. Moreover, we do have companies who are willing to report on a voluntary basis about their sustainable activities - but the existing framework is much too complicated for them. Therefore, we highly appreciate the efforts of the European Commission and EFRAG to establish a Voluntary SME standard (VSME). With this feedback, we would like to draw attention to the time schedule and emphasize that the standard for larger companies and the VSME should be implemented simoultanously. Otherwise, we see the risk that reporting obligations may be passed on to SMEs from big customers or suppliers. This gap would lead to overwhelming documentation requirements.
Read full responseResponse to Initiative on EU taxonomy - environmental objective
3 May 2023
The Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts (HwK) welcomes the possibility of a consultation on the EU environmental taxonomy. The HwK Koblenz is the self-governing body of the skilled crafts in northern Rhineland-Palatinate/Germany and represents the interests of around 21,000 member companies. It is undisputed that the administrative capacities of SMEs are far lower than those of large enterprises. Our member companies, with their average of 5-10 employees, belong to the group of SMEs. Although SMEs are exempted however, many craft enterprises receive requests for information from banks and large companies with which they do business and are thus involved in the overall process. This "trickle-down effect" will also put considerable pressure on craft enterprises and create additional bureaucracy. Our main issue is that companies need more time to comply with the environmental taxonomy criteria. Gathering the key financial data is quite challenging four our member companies. We kindly ask to check if a longer transition period could be implemented. Regarding the environmental criteria 3-6, we would like to make specific comments on Annex II. Please kindly see the attached document. (Template for feedback for Annex II, CCM 3.19, No. 3.5).
Read full responseResponse to Boosting European learning mobility for all
25 Apr 2023
The Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts (HwK) welcomes the possibility of a consultation on learning mobilities. The HwK Koblenz is the self-governing body of the skilled crafts in northern Rhineland-Palatinate/Germany and represents the interests of around 21,000 member companies. We ourselves have a mobility advisory service and organise stays abroad for apprentices, young skilled workers and trainers. In practice, we have recently noticed the following four major challenges: (1) Limiting the field of participants for journeymen until one year after the end of their training. Our target group are apprentices who are completing dual training in the skilled crafts sector as well as young skilled workers. The current funding regulations stipulate that young skilled workers can fund a stay abroad funded via Erasmus+ if their journeyman's qualification is no more than one year in the past. We would be happy if an expansion of this time period for journeymen would be possible and we are convinced that this would address a larger circle of interested parties from the dual training sector. (2) Retention of apprentices: Increase in financial support We welcome the increase in funding for Erasmus+ that has already been made by the EU as well as by the German government. Unfortunately, we have to realise in practice that the current increase is not enough. There has been a sharp increase in costs in all areas due to inflation. This concerns not only the costs that are paid locally in the destination country, but also the fees that are paid to possible intermediary organisations. Another problem is the lack of affordable temporary accommodation for the target group. Due to the multiple crises in many destination countries, existing temporary accomodations are already in use, and are unfortunately no longer available to young learners. (3) Restraint on the part of training companies: Establishment of a flat-rate expense allowance Due to the shortage of skilled workers in Germany, we have recently noticed that training companies are less willing to release a trainee for a stay abroad. Although, it is self-evident, that offering such activities makes an employer more attractive and leads to long-term employee loyalty. In our opinion, one of the main reasons for this reluctance is that the employer must continue to pay the trainee's salaryfor the period of learning mobility (= release of the trainee while maintaining all rights and obligations agreed in the vocational training contract). From our point of view, the employer's willingness for learning mobilities for the workforce could be increased if he receives financial compensation for the period of the employee's absence. (4) Complex social security and labour law regulations We would also like to mention the complicated and sometimes ambiguous regulations in social security law. The various authorities in the EU countries which are responsible for examining social security and labour law issues sometimes give different and contradictory statements. It would be helpful to have a central clarification at European level, possibly with the creation of a special status for participants in the Erasmus+ programme. The target should be that all participants in learning mobilities automatically enjoy the insurance cover required by the Erasmus+ Guidelines.
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