"Debt collection is an important part of the economy": Insights into the BDIU industry association.

After Kirsten Pedd's term as president, during which she played a key role in driving the development of the BDIU, the Executive Committee was reorganised. Debt collection agencies provide a legal service, which is why both the legal and business perspectives are important. As this entrepreneurial perspective was sought, I deliberately applied to become an assessor. It is also very fulfilling to do voluntary work outside my actual job at EOS.

I have an international Master of Business Administration, so I am a ‘business person’ through and through. When it comes to the issues we deal with, I always ask myself, ‘What does this mean for the profitability of a company, for our customers and for consumers?’ This perspective is highly valued because it reflects the diversity of the member companies.

The BDIU has around 450 member companies – ranging from small one-person businesses to large corporations. Even though we are often concerned with the same issues, I always ask myself what political decisions or association activities mean for the different companies from a financial and economic perspective.

The BDIU essentially consists of the executive committee and the administrative office. Our colleagues there keep an eye on political debates and processes and inform us about developments in Berlin and Brussels that are relevant to the debt collection industry. Recent examples include the Credit Market Act and the AI Act. We in the executive committee then look at which issues to address from a legal, business and economic perspective. In the Executive Committee, we also ask ourselves what is good for the customers of our member companies and in the interests of consumers. After all, debt collection is an important part of the economy: the companies organised in the BDIU return a good five billion euros to the economic cycle every year. At the same time, as an association, we stand for responsible debt collection, which we ensure through our Code of Conduct, among other things.

Through our work in the association, we learn about relevant changes and developments in politics, business and society at an early stage. I contribute my experience to the BDIU and connect colleagues at EOS with other experts in the field. This allows us to share our practical knowledge and, through the BDIU, contribute ideas and suggestions to the political arena. Because our work with the association keeps us close to the pulse of developments, we at EOS can also adapt our processes at an early stage and advise our customers on relevant changes.

The coalition wants to evaluate the debt collection reform. For me, this is a sign that our industry is relevant and that the federal government is considering debt collection from both a consumer and customer perspective, looking at various developments in recent years. Our position in the association is generally ‘shape and talk’. Accordingly, we also want to actively shape the relationship with the Ministry of Justice. Our colleagues from the BDIU office have already had an initial meeting at the ministry.

One of the most important issues is the debt collection training course. Every company operating as a debt collection service provider in Germany needs a ‘competent person’ who must be registered with the Federal Ministry of Justice. Due to changes such as personnel changes, there is a regular need for training. To ensure that all companies in the BDIU operate in a legally compliant manner and that we are perceived as a professional association, we are examining how we can ensure up-to-date training in the long term. We would like to modernise and digitise the course, taking hybrid learning formats into account. To this end, we are in close contact with experts from the association, academia and practice. Having just completed the training myself, I can report from my own experience that the specialist training course is of a very high standard and demanding overall.

In general, it is important to me that the debt collection industry is perceived as an essential part of the economic cycle and that companies, politicians and society recognise the benefits that receivables management brings to the economy as a whole. The member companies of the BDIU are already very active, but I believe that we can always examine how we can become even more professional and transparent.