I wrote on the paragliding forum (edited):

The DHV has a huge conflict of interest. It was not too long ago that the paraglider manufacturer's essentially cut the DHV out of 200,000 Euros in annual income by taking over testing and certification within their own association.

Unlike in the US, the DHV does both testing and is supposed to represent the pilots. In the US there is the USHPA and the HGMA (Hang Glider Manufacturer's Association). The USHPA is supposed to represent the pilots and the HGMA represents the interests of the manufacturing and does certification (like the European paraglider manufacturers association). Many of us feel that the HGMA does a much better job re certification (for technical reasons) than the DHV and have actively pushed for all hang glider manufacturers to do their testing only with the HGMA.

The problem is that in Germany hang glider pilots in order to qualify for DHV third party liability insurance must fly DHV certified hang gliders. Hence the conflict of interest. In the US there is no requirement for certification to obtain third party liability insurance, which after all has almost nothing to do with the failure of the glider itself.

We feel that the DHV certification is second class relative to the HGMA and BHPA certification, and that it leads to a sexist outcome.

A reader responds (edited):

It's actually worse. This is not only a liability issue, but a legal issue. Unless you are a foreign pilot making use of the guest flight policy you are simply not allowed at all to fly a non-DHV certified wing (same for harness by the way). You are committing an offense if you do. Well, for test pilots and competition pilots there are some exceptions, but let's leave these aside.

And while the historic benefits of this severe regulation are likely obvious, it is to quite some degree a controversial issue nowadays even in Germany and Austria.