AfD on the economy

The AfD wants to end compulsory membership of businesses in the chamber of commerce. According to the program, most companies do not support it.

Companies in Hamburg must belong to the chamber of commerce. The AfD wants to end this rule. It says most companies do not want it. Other countries do not have this rule either.

The program calls for abolishing the so-called Kammerzwang (mandatory chamber membership). It argues that most businesses do not back compulsory membership. It also points to other countries that have no such requirement and suffer no disadvantages as a result.

The AfD wants to remove obstacles to the growth of the Port of Hamburg, explicitly naming the EU sanctions against Russia. It cites the port's importance for jobs and the German economy.

The Port of Hamburg matters a lot for the economy. The AfD wants it to keep growing. So obstacles should go. It counts EU penalties on Russia among them. These penalties are called sanctions.

The program describes the port as a hub for German imports and exports. It says the port secures more than 156,000 jobs in the metropolitan region and generates gross value added of 21.8 billion euros. Restrictions on port growth, such as those caused by EU sanctions on Russia, should therefore be lifted.

The AfD opposes selling 49.9 percent of HHLA to the shipping company MSC, arguing it ties the city to a single investor for decades. Instead, private investors should only take stakes in individual terminals or a multi-company holding, while control stays with the city.

HHLA is Hamburg's most important port company. The city sold almost half of it to the shipping firm MSC. The AfD thinks this was wrong. Private investors should only own small parts. The city should keep control of the port.

According to the program, the sale binds the city to MSC for at least 40 years, and MSC's veto rights undermine the city's 50.1 percent majority. In the AfD's view, such a far-reaching decision should have been confirmed by referendum. Private stakes should be limited to individual terminals or a holding of several companies to spread risk. Companies with politically questionable aims should be excluded; the AfD rejects stakes by Chinese state firms such as COSCO at the Tollerort terminal because they are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.