The SME Sector. BVMW
The Voice of the SME Sector
Federal Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
The BVMW is the voice of the SME sector. Within the SME Alliance, it represents the common interests of around 30 employer and economic associations. More than 300 BVMW offices domestically and 80 abroad – including in the Balearic Islands – advocate for companies organized within the association. The association's focus areas include network formation, the organization of 2,000 events per year, and political representation at the regional level as well as in Berlin and Brussels.
Your Network of the German SME Sector!
SME Hub Mallorca
Mallorca, once seen from a German perspective as purely a holiday island, has changed. "We have many, many members in Germany who are actually already managing their companies from their finca in Mallorca," says Christoph Ahlhaus, himself a property owner in the southwest of the island and, more importantly, since July 2023, chairman of the Bundeswirtschaftssenat (BVMW). That one of his first official acts consisted of opening a representation of the association in the Balearic Islands was no coincidence, but had been planned for a long time at the suggestion of board member and Mallorca enthusiast Helmut Baur (Binder Optik). Ahlhaus envisions Mallorca as a "hub" through which the German SME sector can extend its reach far beyond the islands. He has entrusted this to the energetic tax advisor Willi Plattes (CEO PlattesGroup), who has been active on the island for 24 years.
The BVMW Image Video
According to Ahlhaus, the BVMW has nearly 30,000 member companies in Germany. In addition, more than 50 associated industry associations of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, which in turn have about 900,000 companies and entrepreneurs as members. "The SME sector," as the registered association is also less cumbersomely called, maintains 300 offices in Germany and 80 foreign representations – it's a massive network that connects via PlattesGroup to Mallorca. "We want to support our members in establishing themselves abroad, bringing supply chains back to Europe, and opening up new markets," Ahlhaus says. The experience and network of the tax law firm are of great help here. Willi Plattes, who was also appointed to the Bundeswirtschaftssenat, will also increasingly bring Mallorca expertise to Germany. Ahlhaus, Baur, and Plattes see the foreign representation as an opportunity to promote Mallorca as an international business location. Plattes has been envisioning a "Silicon Island" for years, attracting digital companies and startups from around the world. Ahlhaus also sees good conditions for this. The island already surpasses German cities in terms of infrastructure, plus there's the "emotional return" of being able to live and work in such a place.
However, the biggest concern remains the SME sector at home and the state of the German economy. Ahlhaus shares the bleak analyses that see one of the world's leading industrial nations in free fall. As BVMW chairman, he now wants to "speak up louder" to make the concerns and demands of the SME sector "heard," he says. Not to cause a ruckus, but to find "ideology-free" and "fact-based" solutions for issues like climate change, skilled labor shortages, or bureaucracy reduction. This is also an area where the PlattesGroup, with its economic forum "NEU DENKEN," has been active for some time. As the official representative of the German SME sector, Willi Plattes plans "targeted discussions" and events, including with Mallorcan entrepreneurs. "We're not setting up a huge apparatus right away, but are gradually developing our hub," says Christoph Ahlhaus.
INHALTSVERZEICHNIS
{title}
Container for the dynamic page
(Will be hidden in the published article)