English

The IHK Nord

As the collective voice of Northern Germany’s economy, IHK Nord represents and advances the interests of its member chambers at regional, federal and European level.

Since 1955, the Association of North German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IHK Nord) has been the central organisation representing 13 Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the federal states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein. IHK Nord advocates for the interests of the Northern German economy at regional, federal and EU level. Within the association, the interests of around 900,000 Northern German companies are unified to speak with one voice. Through the development of joint policy positions and activities, IHK Nord advances the interests of businesses on key issues such as energy and industrial policy, the maritime economy, tourism, the food industry, and foreign trade policy. In doing so, IHK Nord strives to support the Northern German region as an economic location, strengthening its national and international competitiveness as well as furthering its attractiveness as a place to live and do business in. The association focuses on five key sectors for the development of Northern Germany:

	MARITIME ECONOMY, INFRASTRUCTURE, MARITIME TRANSPORT
North Germany is the centre of the national maritime economy – economically, geographically and historically. IHK Nord highlights the importance of German seaports and the maritime industry for Germany as a leading exporting nation, as well as the need for infrastructure maintenance and expansion in light of growing freight and traffic volumes.
	ENERGY AND INDUSTRY
Northern Germany is a green power region. Largely driven by wind power, it makes a crucial contribution to the supply of green energy for businesses, both locally and across Germany as a whole. IHK Nord advocates for internationally competitive energy prices, the expansion and modernisation of power networks, the full integration of renewable energies into the market as well as for stable and reliable political frameworks to enable investment decisions.
	FOOD INDUSTRY
As a critical pillar of supply and a significant source of employment, the food industry in Northern Germany is of particular importance. Both regionally oriented SMEs and internationally active companies are located here. The production, processing and refinement of agricultural products have traditionally played a key role in the region. In addition, innovation and research activities are essential drivers of the sector’s continued development and competitiveness. The sector is further driven by international trade and exports. Raising cross-regional awareness of the food industry’s performance and promoting suitable framework conditions is a key objective of IHK Nord.
	TOURISM
In promoting the tourism industry, IHK Nord focuses on two main aspects: advocating for excellent framework conditions, for example in the areas of skilled labour, quality development and support of SMEs.
	FOREIGN TRADE
The wholesale and foreign trade of North Germany is huge: 20,000 companies employ about 210,000 people. That branch has a turnover of 281 billion euros a year. With its numerous and specialized ports, foreign trade and logistics competencies, North Germany is internationally intertwined: more than two thirds of seaward German foreign trade are transacted through German seaports.

PLEASE CONTACT US AS BELOW

IHK Nord - Association of North German Chambers
of Commerce and Industry
Adolphsplatz 1
20457 Hamburg, Germany
T 0049 (0)40 36138 385
F 0049 (0)40 36138 553

Representation to the European Union
Avenue des Arts 19 A-D
1000 Brussels, Belgium
T 0032 (0)2 20912 80
F 0032 (0)2 20912 89
Write us: info@ihk-nord.de