Business seeking guidance from Altmaier on post-COVID-19 plans
In the wake of the corona crisis that has left deep tracks and disruptions in German mid-sized businesses, the Federal Association of Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW) has outlined a post-corona agenda. This strategy will be presented at the upcoming economic summit on Thursday.
According to Markus Jerger, the federal managing director of the BVMW, the crisis has had a significant impact on medium-sized businesses, and many companies need clarity about their business model and future. He has emphasized the need for a targeted action program to cushion the consequences of the crisis.
The BVMW's post-corona agenda is focused on revitalizing and strengthening medium-sized businesses. It advocates for an innovation- and investment-friendly tax system, a regulatory moratorium, a bureaucracy relief law, modern infrastructure investments, and shortened planning and approval procedures.
Specifically, the BVMW calls for tax reforms that encourage business investments and innovation activities, aiming to reduce financial burdens and create incentives for growth and modernization. They demand a temporary halt on new regulations that could add complexity or costs to businesses, allowing companies to stabilize after the pandemic and focus on recovery without being burdened by additional bureaucratic hurdles.
The association pushes for legislation that simplifies administrative processes, reduces paperwork, and cuts red tape to increase efficiency and lower operational costs. Medium-sized businesses want increased public investment in digital and physical infrastructure such as high-speed internet, sustainable transport, and energy systems to improve competitiveness and support advanced business models.
Lastly, the BVMW emphasizes the need to accelerate government planning and approval processes to enable faster project implementation, which is crucial for timely innovation and market responsiveness.
This agenda reflects the BVMW’s strategy to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of medium-sized enterprises in Germany as they navigate the post-pandemic economic landscape. These demands aim to create a business environment conducive to sustainable growth, technological innovation, and efficient market operations. The BVMW has not proposed specific legislative proposals or detailed policy formulations, but their broad goals are aimed at ensuring practical implementation aligned with these priorities.
Economic and social policy should include a targeted action program to support medium-sized businesses, as these companies are heavily impacted by the crisis and require clarity about their business models and future. This program should focus on tax reforms that encourage business investments and innovation activities, a regulatory moratorium, bureaucracy relief, modern infrastructure investments, and simplified administrative processes to reduce financial burdens and operational costs. The industry, finance, and business sectors would benefit from these measures, as they would enable sustainable growth, technological innovation, and efficient market operations.
