Bundestag member Anton Hofreiter meets with the SME Alliance

BIO Deutschland and other SME Alliance representatives came together for a discussion with Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group. The event provided an opportunity to talk about the recently published Ten-Point Plan for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (see www.bvmw.de). It also offered individual associations the chance to initiate or delve deeper into dialogue on their own topics of importance. BIO Deutschland raised issues regarding skilled workers, the venture capital environment, technology transfer, tax incentives for research, and the bioeconomy. There was also a general call for a reduction in red tape. An effective contribution to this would be to relieve all companies with up to 20 employees of their reporting and statistical obligations. Hofreiter was open to most of the suggestions put forward, with the exception of the requests regarding inheritance tax made by the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW). The SME Alliance brings together trade associations in the small and medium-sized sector to lobby for SME-friendly legislation under the aegis of the BVMW. It is a unique forum for cooperation within the German organisational landscape. Members of the SME Alliance form one voice with which to communicate pressing issues facing small and medium-sized enterprises to policymakers.