Kurt Krautscheid, President of the Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts, also spoke out clearly at the recent New Year's reception in favor of rapid and effective bureaucracy reduction in the interests of the economy. (Photo: © HWK Koblenz)

Read aloud:

Kurt Krautscheid: Rapid reduction of bureaucracy!

Bureaucratic madness in the craft industry - Theme specials

January 2024

The current economic survey conducted by the "German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses" describes Germany's unattractiveness due to excessive bureaucracy.

This article is part of the special topic Bureaucratic madness in the craft industry

The current survey by the "German Small and Medium-Sized Business Association" on the nationwide economic situation describes that "in the opinion of small and medium-sized enterprises, excessive bureaucracy in particular is making Germany increasingly unattractive as a business location. In the most recent economic survey conducted by the German Small and Medium-Sized Business Association, the demand for a reduction in bureaucracy and reporting requirements was by far the top priority: 92,6 percent of participants from 54 associations believe that the federal government must address this issue above all else in order to improve the economic environment in Germany."

This is consistent with the findings of the Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts. President Kurt Krautscheid emphasizes: "The personal responsibility of companies and individuals is increasingly being replaced by guidelines, specifications, and laws. There is now a regulation for every action. This is associated with a shift in responsibility." He cites the Supply Chain Act as an example, which shifts the duty of care to small and medium-sized enterprises. And in the area of labor law, almost everything in Germany is done on paper, with signatures and in multiple copies. There are now skilled crafts businesses that rent space for all their paper files. This represents a dramatic move away from the goal of reducing bureaucracy. Furthermore, this bureaucratic framework often discourages potential business founders from starting their own business. The Chamber of Skilled Crafts President therefore urgently calls for political decisions to rapidly reduce bureaucracy.