logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
17m 30s

Where does the Mittelstand stand?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Could Germany benefit from drastic Javier Milei-style reforms?

One business owner in Berlin thinks so, and many others want a reduction in the amount of bureaucracy bosses are responsible for.

As a federal election takes place in Germany, members of the Mittelstand, Germany’s famous small and medium-sized businesses known as the “backbone” of the country's economy, tell Business Daily what a new government could do for them.

Theo Leggett travels to a science and research park on the outskirts of Berlin where the boss of an underwater robot company and other tech businesses are based. There's a lot of innovation happening in the buildings, but confidence in politics is low.

And Anouk Millet looks at the Hamburg businesses trying to modernise and forge a path towards an uncertain future.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Theo Leggett Producer: Hannah Bewley Reporter: Anouk Millet

(Image: Fabian Bannasch, CEO of Evologics,holding a robotic "penguin". Credit: BBC)

Up next
Jul 10
Business Daily meets: Max Levchin
The fintech entrepreneur tells us about co-founding PayPal, and how an embarrassing personal moment when trying to buy a car, led him to start the buy now, pay later company Affirm.Produced and presented by Leanna Byrne(Image: PayPal Co-Founder & Affirm CEO Max Levchin in 2019. C ... Show More
17m 34s
Jul 9
The impact of 'thirsty' data centres
We're in the US state of Georgia, where huge data centres need water to keep cool. But how is this need for cloud storage and AI capability affecting local residents and the environment?Presenter: Michelle Fleury Producer: Nathalie Jimenez(Image: Georgia resident Beverly Morris l ... Show More
17m 50s
Jul 8
Does university still get you a well-paid job?
Graduates are facing one of the toughest jobs markets in decades. We hear from students in India, the US and UK about whether they feel a university or college degree is worth it as we discuss the cost of attending university around the world and what your job prospects might be ... Show More
17m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
Does Germany need to reinvent itself?
When Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister, Christian Lindner last month, Germany’s ‘traffic light’ government collapsed, an uneasy coalition between parties with differing perspectives and strained relations, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats.At ... Show More
23 m
Feb 2025
Can Germany’s next chancellor help Europe deal with Trump?
Germany has voted, and Friedrich Merz is now the chancellor-in-waiting. But can he rise to the occasion? With Donald Trump signaling a retreat from Europe and cozying up to Vladimir Putin, the continent faces its biggest security challenge in decades. Will Merz shake off Germany’ ... Show More
41m 6s
Feb 2025
Germany's Economy Is Broken. There's No Plan B.
For decades, Germany has relied on manufacturing and exports – a model that made it the world’s third largest economy. But that model is breaking down, and the country’s leaders are offering few alternatives in the upcoming election. WSJ’s Tom Fairless and Bertrand Benoit discuss ... Show More
20 m
Oct 2020
Kickstarting an industry with Fawry CEO Ashraf Sabry (Ep 16)
The majority of Egypt’s population are unbanked and have no access to financial services. Thanks to fintech players like Fawry, this is changing quickly — and for the better. When Ashraf Sabry founded Fawry in 2008, he knew he wanted to leverage his experience and technology in a ... Show More
42m 16s
Sep 2024
153: Colm Kelleher, Chairman of UBS & Former President of Morgan Stanley, Discusses Culture, Leadership, Surviving the Great Financial Crisis and UBS Today
In an interview we had especially looked forward to, and with the Credit Suisse acquisition behind us, the MMP went to Zurich to talk to Colm Kelleher. Described as one of the most influential and capable banking executives of the last several decades, he has been dubbed by the F ... Show More
43m 27s
Feb 2025
20VC: From Penniless Printing Shop Offices to Public Company and One of the Largest Entertainment Companies: The Story of LADbible | The Future of Content & Social Media | US vs Europe: Is Europe F***
Founder and CEO of LADbible Group, Solly Solomou has built one of the largest and most engaged digital media entertainment companies in the world. Under his leadership, LADbible has grown to reach two-thirds of 18-34-year-olds in the UK, with a global audience of over 494 million ... Show More
59m 30s
Dec 2024
Dreaming Big, Building Bigger: The Buzzing World of Don’s Cold Storage
When he opened his food distribution business back in 2006, Don Coenen started with three semi-trucks in a crowded market. Nearly 20 years later, his company Don's Cold Storage and Transportation is a multi-million dollar corporation, open for business 365 days a year. More than ... Show More
34m 39s
Dec 2024
Germany’s Economy Is Facing a Slow-Moving Disaster
Germany’s economy is stagnating; households have less disposable income, and businesses report having less faith in the future. Once the growth engine of Europe, the country has gradually been losing its competitive edge. Now, economic anxieties have fuelled a political crisis th ... Show More
16m 33s
Nov 2019
Back from the brink: How Gourmet Egypt survived the float of the EGP (Ep 1)
After a ten-year run leading a high-end retailer of imported food in Egypt, Jalal Abu Gazaleh nearly fell off a cliff when the devaluation of the EGP saw prices skyrocket, inflation go through the roof — and an effective ban on imports put in place. In today’s episode, Jalal talk ... Show More
26m 3s
Oct 2020
Building a “people” business with Dr. Bahaa Alieldean, of the Alieldean Weshahi & Partners law firm (Ep 17)
If your business sells time — yours or your team’s or both — then this week’s episode is for you. Lawyering is perhaps the world’s second-oldest profession — and the source of endless jokes, the vast majority of them (pleasantly?) tasteless. Today’s episode features a lawyer — an ... Show More
43m 15s