In the run-up to the German federal election, the startup association has strongly criticized the politics of the AfD. “The AfD should play no role in any government in Germany” said Verena Pausder, chair of the startup association, in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
“The AfD has no answers to the problems we face” Pausder stated, adding that “I can’t find common ground with them on a content level and certainly not on a human level.” The party, she claimed, seeks to expel people who are not from here, whereas Germany urgently needs qualified individuals from around the world. The AfD’s call to leave the euro and return to the Deutsche Mark is also at odds with the startup association’s vision of a unified European capital market, Pausder noted. Furthermore, the party’s views on women are outdated, she said.
According to Pausder, the majority of startups in Germany are concerned about the AfD’s rise to prominence. In addition, she emphasized the need for Germany to rapidly reduce bureaucracy, citing the example of Sweden, where young businesses do not pay taxes initially and England, where a company can be established within 24 hours. In contrast, Pausder noted, in Germany, entrepreneurs often wait weeks or even months for a tax identification number. “Kettensäge or Gartenschere: as long as some things can be quickly removed, that’s the main thing” she said, urging Germans to trust themselves to shed unnecessary burdens.