Supporting French companies in Germany: Achieving successful Franco-German development with Coffra group

Success depends on thorough preparation and precise knowledge of local conditions, as well as an in-depth understanding of cultural expectations in Germany. Many projects fail due to issues like timing, corporate governance or regulation compliance . Your future German partners will appreciate it if you demonstrate foresight, for example by creating a timeline with milestones, developing a robust business plan, maintaining transparent documentation and ensuring impeccable compliance.

Coffra group creates optimal conditions for your project by combining regulatory expertise and intercultural intelligence.

• Bilingualism and geographical proximity: We have Franco-German teams based in Paris, Strasbourg and Germany who can work in French or German at every stage of the project.
• Expertise in French and German regulations (HGB, IFRS, tax and employment law, and sectoral compliance).
• A network covering the main federal states and their capitals, with partners based in major economic centres such as North Rhine-Westphalia (Düsseldorf/Cologne), Bavaria (Munich), Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart), Berlin/Brandenburg (Berlin/Potsdam), Hamburg (Hamburg), Saxony (Dresden) and Hesse (Wiesbaden/Frankfurt).
• We provide ‘co-development’ support, integrating your project team and managing milestones together using the WWWWHHW-methodology (Who, What, Where, When, How, How much, Why), milestone reviews and shared RACI matrices.
• Hybrid intervention: assignments can be carried out from Paris or Strasbourg to limit travel costs, with an on-site presence in Germany when required for value creation.
• Targeted sector experience in real estate, energy (including renewable energy and networks), automotive/mobility, and related industries.
• Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and IT-expertise: structuring external growth operations (due diligence, post-acquisition integration); IT audits; ERP roll-outs; and cross-border cybersecurity.

For over 40 years, Coffra group has been at the heart of a Franco-German ecosystem comprising lawyers, notaries, banks, regional development banks (“Landesförderbanken”) and agencies, specialist recruiters, and sectoral clusters. This network is essential in a decentralised federal republic and enables us to design global solutions that are finely tuned to local realities, combining international strategy with local roots.

Co-construction of business plans and implementation scenarios

Development of financial models that incorporate German accounting standards (HGB and IFRS) and take into account local legal obligations (minimum share capital, commercial registers and sectoral licences). Provision of benchmarks for key indicators thanks to our database of Franco-German comparables.

Accelerated access to a range of strategic local resources:
Human capital: identification and recruitment of bilingual professionals, specialized engineers and intercultural managers.

• Commercial property: selection of industrial sites, modular offices or certified laboratories in collaboration with regional property agencies.
• Public aid and funding: mobilizing “Landesförderbanken” programmes, federal/EU subsidies, and R&D tax credits.
• Innovation ecosystems: integration into sector clusters, universities of applied sciences and networks of applied (Fraunhofer), fundamental (Max Planck and Leibniz) and large-scale (Helmholtz) research institutes. This structured access reduces time to market, secures regulatory compliance, and optimizes set-up costs.

Immediate and secure outsourcing of all your compliance needs, including tax registrations, business numbers and periodic declarations. Our ‘one-stop shop’ service helps you avoid delays, penalties and additional costs while drastically reducing your administrative burden thanks to our ‘Fast Track’ system and effective management of key deadlines.

Fine-tuning of governance models: clarification of responsibilities between the French manager and the German “Geschäftsführer”; implementation of delegations of authority (“Prokura”); and integration of the “Betriebsrat/Mitbestimmung” (works council/co-determination )framework.

Our teams work in a collaborative, multicultural environment that fosters synergy between different areas of expertise. This translates into:

• A cross-disciplinary approach: our Audit, Chartered Accountancy, Law & Tax, Human Resources and IT specialists work closely together on joint projects to provide comprehensive, integrated solutions to your challenges.
• International mobility: our staff work in France (Paris and Strasbourg) and Germany, which enriches their understanding of cross-border contexts and strengthens our global support.
• Our teams undergo continuous training and obtain recognised certifications such as “IDW, HGB, IFRS, Steuerberater and Wirtschaftsprüfer”, guaranteeing that our services meet European standards.
• Ongoing innovation: our in-house R&D programmes are developing tomorrow’s solutions in areas such as AI-powered accounting, electronic invoicing, and ESG reporting. This organisational structure enables us to offer expert, innovative support that is tailored to the complexity of your challenges.

We help your teams to:

1. Understand German expectations in terms of precision, pace, and decision-making hierarchy.
2. Prepare clear, succinct and factual reporting with dates.
3. Avoid behavioral pitfalls such as under-promising and over-delivering, strict adherence to deadlines and contractual formalization.

Each client is assigned a Franco-German project manager who oversees the entire process, including audits, legal matters, accounting, HR, IT and external partners. You benefit from a single point of contact and monthly KPI monitoring.

Would you like to:

• Create or acquire a German entity?
• Outsource your accounting, social or IT management?
• Secure your M&A transactions and Franco-German flows?
• Optimise your structural costs and cross-border taxation?

Contact us today and turn your German ambitions into lasting success.