Relieve companies holistically

The North Rhine-Westphalian skilled trades sector is calling on the state government to further develop the existing measures to reduce bureaucracy and is presenting a 6-point plan to ease the burden on companies.

This article is part of the special feature on bureaucratic madness in the skilled trades.

The North Rhine-Westphalian trade association is calling on the state government to systematically develop existing measures to reduce bureaucracy . "The state must see itself as a driving force for bureaucracy reduction vis-à-vis the federal government and the EU ," said Andreas Ehlert , President of Handwerk.NRW.

Andreas Ehlert Photo: © Ingo Lammert

"We need a holistic approach to reducing bureaucratic costs and competitive barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Given the recent increase in national debt, this would amount to growth and economic stimulus at no cost ," emphasizes Ehlert. The skilled trades sector could also envision relief through the transfer of responsibilities in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.

Initial food hygiene checks are a burden

Further relief proposals come from the individual sectors of the skilled trades: "There are very concrete examples of how the state can reduce burdens and barriers to competition on its own," says the president of the North Rhine-Westphalia Skilled Trades Association , Hans-Joachim Hering.

Hans-Joachim Hering Photo: © UVH

"The limited building permit authorization for master bricklayers and carpenters should finally be introduced in North Rhine-Westphalia, following the example of other federal states. And the fees for random initial food hygiene inspections place an unjustified burden on medium-sized bakeries and butcher shops. This doesn't punish the bad apples, but primarily affects the clean businesses."

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Lots of potential for simplification

The skilled trades sector is also committed to consistently utilizing the opportunities of digitalization : "The first steps have now been taken with the business service portal. But there is still a lot of potential to simplify and accelerate approval processes," explains Hans Hund , President of the West German Association of Chambers of Skilled Crafts.

Hans Hund Photo: © Teamfoto Marquardt

Digitalization could also make a significant contribution to reducing statistical and documentation requirements . The skilled trades sector is also open to testing future relief measures in real-world pilot projects . Furthermore, the sector sees opportunities within state-level responsibilities to continue the deregulation strategy implemented by Economics Minister Andreas Pinkwart.

Right of initiative for clearing house demanded

Together, the presidents see many opportunities to streamline state regulations and intensify criticism of bureaucracy. "In particular, by granting the SME Clearing Office the right to initiate proposals , so that it can itself submit suggestions for making state law more SME-friendly ," the presidents stated. They are now jointly calling for the implementation of the amendment to the SME Promotion Act.

Source: Handwerk.NRW