Program check: What the FDP, Linke and AfD are planning for start-ups

Election programs are relevant for start-ups. But what does it say? Part 2 of our election manifesto check with the FDP, Die Linke and AfD.

For the first time in many years, it is largely unclear which parties will govern Germany in which constellation after September 26. So there is a lot of uncertainty, which should not leave the start-up world cold either.

In fact, almost all parties have been thinking about how they can promote the start-up ecosystem in Germany. From less bureaucracy and more venture capital to the promotion of female founders: everyone is making big promises.

Startbase summarizes what the parties intend to do in the event of government participation. In the first part, we looked at the programs of the CDU/CSU, the SPD and the Greens. In the second part of our election manifesto check, we look at the FDP, the Left Party and the AfD.

FDP

The Liberals' election manifesto is 68 pages long. It contains a number of demands that could benefit start-ups. Among other things, the FDP is calling for 25 percent of Germany's gross domestic product to be invested in 2025 - preferably privately and not primarily by the state. "The state must use its investments and other tax and economic policy instruments in such a way that private companies are also happy to invest in Germany," it says under the heading "Investing in the future".

Another important point for start-ups from the FDP election program is employee participation. According to the Liberals, the framework conditions for this are poor, and thus represent the same position as the Federal Association of German Start-ups. According to the FDP's program, taxation should only begin when the shares are sold and should correspond to that of company shares. "We also want to create a separate share class for employee shareholdings in order to simplify the expensive and administratively complex process of transferring GmbH shares," the party writes.

The FDP would also like to significantly expand the future fund (fund of funds) for start-up financing. "Instead of just providing more state funding, we want to make investing in venture capital more attractive for private capital," the program states. The fund of funds would build a bridge to overcome the current obstacles, such as excessively high equity requirements or investment sums that are too small.

The party is paying particular attention to female founders. They should be given better access to venture capital, according to the Liberals. "To this end, we are calling for the establishment of a venture capital fund in the form of a public-private partnership," they write in their election manifesto. And they continue: "By creating a network for female investors and female business angels, women should also receive targeted support for their start-up projects."

The Left Party

The election manifesto of the Left Party is 100 pages longer than that of the FDP - but there are hardly any demands explicitly aimed at strengthening the start-up location. The keyword "start-up", for example, does not even appear in the election manifesto. Nevertheless, the party has formulated points that could have a direct impact on young companies.

This includes the issue of works councils, for example. Time and again, start-ups encounter problems in this area. "Today's working world is characterized by digitalization, globalization, deregulation and the need for ecological restructuring. We want to make works council elections easier and secure the ability of works councils to work," writes the party. Specifically, it is therefore calling for key public prosecutors' offices for the topic of labour law, stricter sanctions against employers and law firms that specialize in preventing trade union organization.

If a start-up tries to prevent the first election of a works council, the party wants labor courts to be able to directly appoint an employee representative body. "We want to adapt the definition of a company and expand the definition of an employee. Additional employee representation structures should be able to be determined by collective agreement or works agreement," writes the party and continues: "We want to extend mandatory co-determination to issues of work organization, staffing levels, precarious employment and qualification."

The Left Party also advocates the role of the trade unions. "The trade unions must be given a comprehensive right of action for compliance with collective agreements and statutory provisions as well as the right to collective complaints in accordance with the protocol of the European Social Charter," it demands in its election manifesto.

The party explicitly wants to promote "companies that are wholly or partly collectively owned by the workforce" and this through "preferential treatment in the awarding of public contracts". The Left Party also calls for the establishment of a socio-ecological chamber of commerce "to support regional flagship projects and business start-ups in the field of solidarity-based economy through advice and financial support".

AfD

The AfD's election manifesto is even longer than that of the Left Party. The right-wing populists have written 210 pages. The word "start-up" does not appear at all. The AfD still wants to leave the euro and believes that the "climate rescue" will lead to a weakening of the German economy.

In order to strengthen companies in Germany, it is relying on the German inventive spirit. She wants to prevent inventors from emigrating and has therefore drawn up a "blue deal development plan" for investment in technology leadership.

Among other things, the plan provides for school education, higher education and research to focus more on STEM subjects. This would make it easier for start-ups operating in these fields to find skilled workers in the future. The AfD wants to "improve the framework conditions for investments in Germany", and the right-wing populists also want to bring the infrastructure up to a "modern standard". They also want to reduce bureaucracy and make labor law more flexible, among other things.