Composition with at least one polymerizable binder and at least one polymerization initiator, which contains at least one acylgermanium compound according to general Formula (I), ##STR00001## in which R.sup.0 is a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1-18-alkyl radical or an acyl group; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are H, an acyl group or have one of the meanings given for R.sup.3; R.sup.3 is a branched or linear C.sub.1-18-alkyl radical which can be unsubstituted or substituted one or more times by --O--, --NH--, --NR--, --S-- or interrupted by other groups, trimethylsilyl, hal-(CH.sub.3).sub.2Si--[OSi(CH.sub.3).sub.2].sub.r.sup.-, (CH.sub.3).sub.3Si--[OSi(CH.sub.3).sub.2].sub.r--, --COOH, --COO--R.sup.10, --CO--NR.sup.11R.sup.12, --CO-vinyl, --CO-phenyl, phenyl-C.sub.1-4-alkyl, phenyl, naphthyl or biphenyl, C.sub.5-12 cycloalkyl, a 5 or 6-membered O, S or N-containing heterocyclic ring, halogen, OH, an aromatic C.sub.6-30 radical which can be substituted or unsubstituted and/or interrupted by O, S or --NR--, or a branched, cyclic or linear C.sub.1-20 alkyl, -alkenyl, -alkoxy or -alkenoxy radical; m is 1, 2 or 3; n is 0 or 1 and p is 0 or 1; wherein in each case two of the radicals R.sup.0, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 or R.sup.3 can be connected to each other accompanied by the formulation of a 5 to 8 member ring; and the use of acylegermanium compounds of Formula (I), for example, as initiator for radical polymerization.