SPD on the economy

The SPD wants companies to receive state support only if they commit to keeping their sites and jobs. According to the platform, the economic transformation is currently being carried out one-sidedly at workers' expense.

Companies sometimes get money from the state. The SPD wants to set a condition. Companies must keep their sites. They must also protect the jobs.

The condition is meant to apply to investments, subsidies, aid and expansion measures that benefit companies. The platform argues that the state and business must share responsibility in difficult times. A mere pledge to keep the location attractive is not enough when plants close, it says. The SPD says it will fight for every single job.

The SPD wants an active industrial and structural policy that promotes growth, future technologies and jobs. It plans a one-billion-euro transformation fund, regional advisory councils, model regions and an innovation drive. The aim is to bring the state back to the top in economic growth.

The SPD wants to give industry in the state more support. It plans one billion euros for this. The money is for roads, networks and new ideas. In the regions, unions and companies should plan together.

Existing state growth initiatives would be extended to further sectors such as mechanical and plant engineering. Regional transformation councils made up of unions, chambers, business associations and employment agencies would agree on joint packages of measures. In model regions, the SPD wants to test measures, use legal opt-out clauses and bundle permits at a single point of contact. The innovation drive is meant to move research, for example on battery cells and AI, into production and secure skilled jobs covered by collective agreements. The institutes of the Innovationsallianz would get more funding, and the InvestBW program would grow substantially and favor sustainable business models.

The SPD wants to bar new state rules that create additional bureaucracy for businesses for two years. Permit procedures would also be streamlined and sped up. Rules on workers' rights and on fair competition during the transformation are exempt.

The SPD wants a stop on new red tape. For two years, the state should make no new rules that mean more paperwork for companies. Permits should come faster. The stop does not apply to workers' rights.

The moratorium covers state regulations that would add administrative burdens for companies. The SPD also wants to cut bureaucracy it considers unnecessary and issue permits faster. An explicit exception applies to workers' rights and to fair competitive conditions during the transformation. The platform argues that companies need more reliable conditions during a period of change.

The SPD wants to set up a state fund that takes temporary stakes in companies and start-ups whose products focus on sustainability. Supported firms would have to invest in the state and secure jobs. Returns would fund further state investment.

The SPD wants to start a state fund. The state gives companies money for a limited time and becomes a part owner. The companies must invest in the state and protect jobs. The state uses profits for new investments.

The fund would invest in firms whose products or business models are aimed mainly at sustainability, including technological sustainability. Companies receiving this taxpayer-funded capital must commit to investing in the state and keeping jobs in Baden-Württemberg. Companies that follow collective agreements would get priority. The fund is also meant to cushion the challenges of the transformation.

The SPD wants to make industry's supply of raw materials and semiconductors a top-level government priority. The platform sees dependence on individual, geopolitically risky suppliers as the greatest threat to the state's future viability.

Industry needs raw materials and computer chips. Many come from a few risky countries. The SPD wants to change that. Companies should produce more in the region and buy together.

Companies would get support in building regional value chains. The state would promote purchasing consortia in which firms pool their market power. A circular economy and research into substitute materials are meant to reduce dependencies, for example on rare earths. The goal is an industry that can still deliver in times of crisis.

The SPD wants to provide more financing for new companies, in both the founding and the growth phase, and to expand regional founder centers. Funding would be tied to fair working conditions. The platform argues that the state lags behind Bavaria, Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia in start-up rankings.

The SPD wants to help new companies more. There should be more money for start-ups. In return, the companies must treat their workers fairly. Women and non-binary people should also become more visible as founders.

The plan includes grants, loans and equity stakes, plus more public money for venture capital funds to trigger private investment. Support programs such as incubators and accelerators would be streamlined. Start-ups would get better help when bidding for public contracts. Campaigns, events such as the Female Founders Cup and mentoring programs are meant to raise the visibility of female and non-binary founders.

The SPD wants to support tourism infrastructure together with municipalities and set up a fund for conventions and trade fairs. The Black Forest in particular would be strengthened as a destination, including by modernizing historic inns and huts.

The SPD wants to do more for tourism. There should be a fund for trade fairs and conventions. Old inns and hiking huts in the Black Forest should be modernized. Jobs in tourism should be good jobs.

The focus is on sustainable, regional marketing. Local retail, hotels and restaurants are also meant to benefit from the fund. Funding programs would make traditional inns, spa buildings and hiking huts energy-efficient, accessible and digitally equipped. According to the platform, hospitality training should produce qualified staff rather than serve as a source of cheap labor.

The SPD wants to make it easier for municipalities to take on tasks such as energy, water, transit or housing themselves. The current priority for private providers would be dropped. The platform argues that profits then stay local and decisions remain under democratic control.

The SPD wants to strengthen public utilities and other town-owned companies. Today, private companies often come first. The SPD wants to change that. Towns should not be allowed to sell important networks. The state will help with money and loan guarantees.

State law and administrative rules would be changed accordingly. Bans on sales and buyback options are meant to keep critical infrastructure in public hands permanently. Companies owned jointly by several municipalities would be easier to found, and public utilities could plan networks together. An equity fund at L-Bank (the state development bank) would provide capital to municipal companies; state guarantees and earmarked grants would lower investment costs. The SPD also wants to ensure fiber and mobile coverage across the state.