Following an EU infringement procedure against Germany, German legislator changed the provision granting relief from withholding taxation on dividends paid to a non-resident parent company under a Double Tax Treaty or the Parent Subsidiary Directive. The new set of rules applies as of 1 January 2012. The German Ministry of Finance issued a decree dated 25 January 2012 in which it lays down its interpretation of the new rules, which in many cases tightens the requirements for WHT relief.