State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport, and Deputy Prime Minister

Sven Morlok

Sven Morlok
(© Sächsische Staatskanzlei, Rainer Weissflog, Fotolia)

Short CV

Sven Morlok was born on 5th May 1962 in Stuttgart. After graduating from school, Sven Morlok studied business administration in Mannheim and concluded his studies in 1992 with a thesis for the Technical University of Dresden.

From 1992 to 1996, he worked for the Treuhandanstalt (privatisation agency) in Dresden. From 1996, he worked as an assistant to the management in Nacap GmbH, and in 1999 he was appointed as the company CEO. Since 2007, he has been the managing partner in Pommer Spezialbetonbau GmbH.

Sven Morlok has been a city councillor in Leipzig since 2005 and a member of the Saxon Landtag since October 2004.

Political Priorities

Economic policy in the Saxon Free State is based on a clear commitment to the social market economy. The fundamental principles of freedom, self-responsibility, reward for effort and fair competition create the preconditions for a strong society. The Free State of Saxony needs to stand on its own feet by the time funding from the solidarity pact runs out in 2019. That will not be possible without extensive modernisation of the state.

We want a strong but lean state, which concentrates on its main tasks and is free from superfluous activities. We need courageous entrepreneurs, committed workers and a state administration that sees itself as a partner and service provider for businesses and citizens. Small and medium enterprises, traders, independent professionals and craftspeople form, together with industry, the backbone of the Saxon economy. They deserve particular attention in economic policy, since they create the most jobs and apprenticeships.

More incentives for investment and innovation need to be created, since they will be crucial for the future viability of our state. Business needs a reliable framework, a high degree of entrepreneurial freedom and service-oriented support. Saxony needs to raise its profile and attractiveness and its advantages as a business location must be highlighted. In addition, tourism and business support must be bound more closely together.

Joint efforts by business, trade unions, employers and staff in overcoming the crisis need to be supported. The basic objective of labour market policy is integration into the main workforce. As a transitional measure, support for the labour market is still needed, as help for self-help. Anyone who claims state benefits must provide a service to society in return.

Planning, tendering, approval and subsidy procedures need to be simplified and speeded up. All areas of enterprise support must be reviewed to assess their SME-friendliness, potential to reduce bureaucracy and responsible use of tax revenues. Saxony’s cities and regions must be optimally connected to the long-distance rail network. Gaps in the trunk road network must be filled, the capacity of the existing roads increased and additional bypasses built.