BIW on the economy

The BIW wants to make Bremen more attractive to companies and investors. State taxes and levies would fall, procedures would be shortened and bureaucracy cut. Better location marketing, new commercial land and a more diversified economy are also planned.

The BIW wants to bring more companies to Bremen. Taxes and fees in the state should go down. Permits should be faster. There should be new land for businesses. Bremen should advertise itself more.

Levies would drop at least to the average of other coastal locations; planning and permit procedures would be shortened, also through faster digitalization of the administration. Location marketing would become more professional and target mainly smaller firms from surrounding Lower Saxony and port-related businesses. New commercial and logistics sites would be developed along the roads to the ports, including through cooperation with neighboring municipalities. More broadly, the BIW wants to reduce dependence on world trade and strengthen fields such as research, energy and tourism, whose marketing would also be expanded.

The BIW wants to revive support for small and mid-sized businesses and raise the self-employment rate, which the platform says is Germany's lowest at 6.5 percent. The state development bank would set up new financing programs. A commissioner for small and mid-sized businesses and new start-up centers near universities would be added.

Bremen has few self-employed people. The BIW wants to change that. The state's development bank should lend money to small companies. Start-up centers should open near the universities. A commissioner should look after small companies.

The Bremer Aufbau Bank programs would finance the founding, expansion and takeover of small and mid-sized firms, mainly in innovative, internationally competitive industries. The BIW expects more employment because such firms provide a large share of jobs and training places. A commissioner with the rank of state secretary under the economics senator would serve as a contact point. New start-up and innovation centers would be created near the universities, and existing ones enlarged, to link business and research.