The economic policy of the European Union influences the almost 23 million small and medium-sized companies in the 28 Member States in a variety of ways. Yet, there exists no coherent EU policy on small and medium-sized enterprises. With the Small Business Act of 2008, small and medium-sized...

New business models are at the heart of the global competitive challenge. In several areas of manufacturing and closely related services industries, new market participants, business models and technologies lead to faster change in market conditions and the competitive environment. These...

The cooperation between established SMEs and innovative start-ups offers considerable opportunities for the respective companies and the German economy. New business models can be adopted, and innovative products can be jointly developed. In particular, the digitalisation of the 'German...

Europe is lagging behind the United States and Israel in the number of successful start-ups. Highly innovative start-ups that grow to become global companies the size of Google or Amazon within just a few years are not being founded here. Many of Europe’s countries and regions are experiencing...

The Russian attack on Ukraine has brought the question of the German Armed Forces’ operational capability back into focus. National defense, which seemed to play only a minor role with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union in 1991, now has gained a...