"We want to make a difference as a group"

Max Mordhorst is the Chairman of the "Foundation and Start-up" parliamentary group. In this interview, he talks about his goals for this legislative period, the advantages of cross-party cooperation and his criticisms of the start-up strategy.

Max Mordhorst has just returned from his first parliamentary summer break. The FDP politician has been a member of the Bundestag since last fall. Since this spring, he has been the first chairman of the parliamentary group for start-ups, a non-partisan group of MPs that deals with the topic outside the usual parliamentary structures. In this interview, he explains why this committee is important, what his goals are with the group and how he views the importance of the topic of start-ups in general.

Mr. Mordhorst, you are the first chairman of the parliamentary group for start-ups in this legislative period. Let me ask you directly: why is this absolutely necessary?

Max Mordhorst: For me, it is part of the self-image of a self-confident parliament that we want to provide our own impetus on the topics of founding and start-ups. We are also non-partisan, which means that we discover differences as well as similarities between the parties. In this spirit, the chairmanship will also rotate; I'm doing it for the first year, then a colleague from another party will take over.

At the moment, however, start-up policy seems to be made primarily in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which has now presented its start-up strategy. What role do you see for your district?

We will take a look at the strategy after the summer break and develop our own position on it. I think that many fundamental issues will be addressed. But I am, for example, very curious to see what our colleagues from the opposition will say about it. And I personally also take a critical view of some points.

One area of conflict is the interlinking of companies with the world of education

Maximilian Mordhorst

For example?

I still see a need to catch up when it comes to promoting real-world laboratories. I think granting legal freedom to test business models is important, but still underrepresented in the current draft. Another point is the time limit for employee participation. I think this is too strict.

What effect will such a statement from the circle really have in the end?

In the end, the parliament is decisive in our political system. And the advantage of our group is that what we discuss can be passed on to all parliamentary groups. We definitely want to make a difference as a group and not just become a visiting group.

What do you mean by that?

We don't want to tour the country and visit a start-up here and there. I also don't see this parliamentary group as a framework for making a name for myself. My hope is that we can become a contact point for start-ups. My impression is that many people would like to interact with politicians. Through us, they could get in touch with representatives of all parties more easily and don't have to approach all the political groups.

How big are the differences between the various parties when it comes to start-ups?

Not that big. We actually all agree that the topic of start-ups needs to be given more prominence than in previous legislative periods. And we also all want to see the expansion of state funding pots.

One area of conflict, however, is the interlinking of companies with the world of education, for example through spin-offs from universities. This is still frowned upon in this country and there is a lot of mistrust, especially from the left. We also don't always agree on the subject of employee share ownership.

We always need an entrepreneurial spirit to make progress.

Max Mordhorst

Your party, the FDP, sees itself as a representative of the entrepreneurial spirit in politics. How annoyed are you that the issue is now being dealt with by the Green-led Ministry of Economic Affairs?

Of course it's a bit annoying. But unfortunately the FDP still doesn't have an absolute majority, so we won't get all the ministries(laughs). But seriously: I think a lot of what's happening at the moment is good, especially in the context of the start-up strategy. And many issues, for example when it comes to bureaucracy for start-ups, are also dealt with by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The Digital Ministry is also occupied by our party. However, as a parliament and as a parliamentary group, it is our job to critically monitor the ministries' proposals anyway, so it is not so important who is in charge.

Other issues are currently dominating the political agenda, such as the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine. Are you worried that the foundation issue will take a back seat?

On the contrary, I think it is currently even more important than before. After all, we need a basis for all the money we want to spend right now. And we will only have that in the long term if there are founders with new ideas to help us overcome the crises. We are not a country with an administrative economy, we always need an entrepreneurial spirit to move forward.

What needs to happen in the parliamentary group over the next few years for you to leave the legislative period with the feeling that your work there has been successful?

It will be a lot about the concrete implementation of the start-up strategy. There will be many topics, such as the creation of investment incentives or the consolidation of funding programs. If we have turned one or two screws after four years, I will be satisfied.

Personal details: Max Mordhorst, 26, entered the Bundestag in 2021 via the Schleswig-Holstein FDP state list. There he is a member of the Finance Committee and the Digital Committee, as well as a deputy member of the Tourism Committee. He has been the state chairman of the Young Liberals in Schleswig-Holstein since 2019. He is studying law at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel.