CDU on the economy

The CDU wants to strengthen small and mid-sized businesses and the skilled trades with faster permits, less regulation and no tax increases. Funding programs are to be merged and simplified, and very small programs scrapped. Municipalities are to get enough money to be able to lower their local tax rates.

The CDU wants to help small and mid-sized businesses. Permits should come faster. There should be fewer rules. Funding programs should become simpler. The party wants to end very small funding programs.

The platform justifies simpler funding by saying that a considerable share of the money currently goes to consultants who help with applications. Better finances for municipalities are meant to let them attract businesses with lower local tax rates. Investment, especially by private investors, is to become easier. The party wants to actively support business successions. It names high energy costs, red tape and a shortage of skilled workers as burdens.

The CDU wants to reduce bureaucracy in four steps: when laws are drafted, when they are enforced, by scrapping existing rules and through fully digital procedures. The program calls bureaucracy the biggest brake on innovation in the state.

The CDU wants less red tape. New laws should cause less paperwork. Old rules should be checked and removed. Applications should be digital. Often a simple notice should replace a permit.

Every new law is to be checked for its bureaucratic costs, and reporting duties are to be dropped where possible. A staff unit in the state chancellery is to steer the effort, and an independent state regulatory review council is to test rules for practicality. In many cases a notification would replace a permit. If an authority misses its deadline, the application would count as approved. The CDU does not want to go beyond EU or federal requirements and plans to push for less bureaucracy in Brussels. Public officials are to get more discretion in decisions.

The CDU wants Rhineland-Palatinate to remain an industrial state. Electricity prices are to fall, permits are to come faster, carbon capture is to be allowed, and land for new business sites is to be held in reserve together with municipalities.

The CDU wants to keep industry in the state. Electricity should get cheaper. Permits should come faster. Companies should be allowed to capture and store CO₂. Towns should keep land ready for new businesses.

The program names chemicals, machinery and vehicle manufacturing, suppliers and metalworking as core industries. Investment in climate-neutral production is to become easier for them. Technologies such as CCS and CCU, meaning the capture and storage or reuse of CO₂, are to be allowed so that energy-intensive firms stay competitive while meeting climate targets. With municipalities, the CDU wants to develop land in advance and support joint business parks with state advisory teams. Municipalities are to receive funds for business parks with solar panels, combined heat and power units and charging stations.

The CDU wants to give targeted support to the defense and arms sector in the state. It points to location advantages from the Bundeswehr, the procurement office in Koblenz and the US forces.

The CDU wants to support companies that work for defense. The state has German and US troops. The CDU sees this as an advantage. This should create new jobs.

The program wants to strengthen existing networks and expand cooperation among industry, research and military facilities. Dual-use goods, which serve both civilian and military purposes, are also to play a role. The goals are new jobs and stronger suppliers. Rhineland-Palatinate is to present itself as a reliable partner for security and alliance defense.

The CDU wants to make it easier to found companies and improve access to capital, especially in later funding rounds. Universities and businesses are to work more closely together, and new ideas could be tested under temporary exemptions from state law.

The CDU wants to support new companies. Founders should get money more easily. Universities and companies should work together more. New ideas can be tested even where state rules stand in the way. This would apply only for a limited time.

The state development bank is to offer simpler venture capital products for second and third funding rounds, and private capital is to become easier to reach. The CDU plans to lobby the federal government for tax relief on venture capital. Regional innovation clusters, transfer offices, digital founder platforms and start-up hubs at universities are planned. Fields such as artificial intelligence, life sciences, hydrogen and the circular economy are to be promoted. Innovation vouchers for small and mid-sized firms are to be expanded.

The CDU wants to make tourism more digital and more visible internationally and to make downtowns more attractive. This includes legally secure shopping Sundays in all cities, a culture funding law and easier reuse of empty buildings.

The CDU wants to bring more visitors to the state. It wants to build more bike and hiking trails. Downtowns should become livelier. Stores should be able to open safely on some Sundays. Empty buildings should be easier to use in new ways.

The program provides for support for digital tourism platforms and investment in bike and hiking trails. A culture funding law is meant to strengthen cultural offerings and cultural tourism. Where landmark churches are repurposed, cultural and hospitality uses are to be made easier. For downtowns, the CDU plans more flexible uses, relief on outdoor space rules and heritage protection, and simple rules for Sunday flea markets and temporary uses. Tourist sites are to get better mobile coverage and Wi-Fi, and smaller towns are to benefit as well.