Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the heart of Germany's social market economy and serve as the key engine of growth and employment.

Industrial policy must feed into policymaking to prevent barriers to economic activity found in other countries, especially countries outside the EU.

The service sector, which encompasses a vast spectrum of business activity, is a major driver of economic growth in Germany.

The Ministry aims to provide a clear framework for vocational training to encourage more companies to hire trainees, so as to tackle the skills shortage.

The social market economy aims to protect the freedom of all market participants on both the supply and demand side, while simultaneously ensuring social equity.