"Together - up to anything"
The motto of the 26th German Savings Banks Day "Together - up to anything" expresses challenge and confidence alike, write the members of the Board – the men and women of savings banks, Landesbanken and the regional savings banks associations and representatives of municipal associations for the carriers of the public service Institute – in the preface of the "Hamburg Declaration". As the core task of the savings banks, they state: "Sparkassen ensure financial and thus social participation." For centuries, through economic and political crises and across different political systems, this has distinguished the savings banks and distinguished them from their competitors.
According to the declaration, engaging in participation also means securing "prosperity for all" for the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe. It is important to shape globalisation and digitization "so that all people can exercise their right to economic and social participation permanently and reliably."
In terms of economic policy, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe clearly supports German medium-sized companies or "Mittelstand": The preservation of efficient medium-sized economic structures is not self-evident in an increasingly globalised and digitized world. Therefore, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe demands "more commitment to such structures and the necessary framework conditions." Savings banks, Landesbanken and their affiliated partners therefore maintain close business relationships with three quarters of German companies. They finance almost one in two start-ups and provide more than 40 percent of all corporate loans.
Image: Hamburg Declaration (in German)
"We are part of the local community - and that's how we understand each other," says the DSGV Board of Directors summing up the "Hamburg Declaration". Elementary for the committee is to invest in cohesion in Germany: "The strengthening of the community, the building of bridges between different population groups and more mutual understanding are crucial future tasks of our country."
>> May 16 keynote address by DSGV President Helmut Schleweis