Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks / ZDH

The Central Association of German Crafts e. V. (ZDH) represents the interests of 1 million craft enterprises in Germany with more than 5.5 million damage claims around 360,000 apprentices and annual sales of more than € 560 billion.

As the leading organization of the economy based in the "House of German Crafts" in Berlin, the ZDH bundles the work of 53 craft chambers, 49 craft trade associations on federal level as well as important economic and other institutions of the craft industry in Germany.

The ZDH serves the unified decision-making in all fundamental issues of craft policy and represents the overall interests of the craft trade with the Bundestag, the Federal Government and other central authorities, the European Union (EU) and international organizations. To this end, the ZDH cooperates with partner organizations.

At European level, ZDH is a member of UEAPME (European Union of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises), which initiates and coordinates numerous activities with partner organizations at EU level. In Brussels, the ZDH maintains its own office.

The ZDH and its members maintain a network of partnerships with similar organizations in Central and Eastern Europe and developing countries. In this framework, "help for self-help" is practiced, which enables the partners to represent the interests of small and medium-sized businesses and the craft industry.