BDA AGENDA 22/25 | COMMENTARY OF THE WEEK | October 30, 2025

By Wolf Matthias Mang, President of the Association of Hessian Business Associations (VhU)

We need growth because we want a future

While other countries are growing economically, we are debating. While others are easing the burden, we are increasing it. And while the business community has long since made concrete proposals for action, politicians are getting bogged down in petty details. Germany is putting the brakes on and wondering why it is losing momentum.

The situation is serious. The economy is stagnating, approvals are taking forever, and private investment is not being made. The house is on fire, and in Berlin they are discussing the color of the firefighting water. Reforms are stalled, decisions are postponed, responsibility is passed on. The right thing is done too rarely, too slowly, too late. This affects above all those who carry our country: our companies and their employees.

We finally need a breakthrough for the economy. No new debt, but real reforms. Less burdens, more innovation. Fewer hurdles, more responsibility for growth, including in administration. That would be real location policy: pragmatic, fast, reliable.

We need growth because we want a future. Without growth, there is no scope for social security, education, investment, and innovation. Growth is not an end in itself. It is the prerequisite for us to be able to afford change and progress in the first place.

But our country has lost its way, not only economically, but also ideologically. Entrepreneurial achievement is viewed with suspicion, economic success as morally dubious. Stories about the super-rich and ruthless entrepreneurs obscure reality. It is entrepreneurs who create value, bear responsibility and risks, pay taxes, provide training and create jobs. They secure our prosperity day after day.

Those who do not value this achievement weaken the foundation on which our society stands. Prosperity does not come from mistrust, regulation, or subsidies, but from competition, ideas, and courage. Germany has everything it needs: bright minds, strong companies, and dedicated employees. Now it needs the right framework conditions.

Change is uncomfortable, but those who wait will lose out. The future is created where performance is rewarded, innovation is possible, and entrepreneurship is valued. Germany must become that place again.