During the award ceremony on September 7, 2015 in Berlin, the jury argued that “through its publications and commentaries on economic policy, the German Council of Economic Experts makes a significant contribution to the success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in our country”. Awarded in the “civil society” category, the prize also recognizes the Council’s freedom and independence, according to the jury. The Council members are Prof. Christoph M. Schmidt, Chairman, Prof. Peter Bofinger, Prof. Lars P. Feld, Prof. Isabel Schnabel as well as Prof. Volker Wieland. The laudation was given by former Minister of Economics and Labor, Wolfgang Clement.
“The SME Award is given to individuals and institutions who promote the social market economy, as envisioned by Ehrhardt, who represent the entrepreneurial spirit and who see “freedom” not as a threat but as an opportunity,” MIT Chairman Carsten Linnemann concluded.
The Small and Medium-Sized Business Association of the CDU and CSU (MIT) represents the interests of its 30,000 members and is committed to supporting entrepreneurial spirit in the political sphere. Awarded in three categories, politics, civil society and business, the SME Award recognizes exceptional and exemplary dedication to the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises. Besides honoring the German Council of Economic Experts, the independent jury consisting of nine representatives from politics, business, academia and the media (Börsen-Zeitung, Handelsblatt), chaired by Deputy Head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Gitta Connemann, in 2015 also selected Gerda Hasselfeld, Head of the CSU Regional Group, and Gebrüder Mehler cloth mill as SME awardees from a list of candidates compiled by MIT members.
To the press release of the German Council of Economic Experts