Not the strongest, but the smartest weightlifter will lift the heaviest weight

How does a parent achieve more? By relieving their child of all his or her tasks or by giving them the freedom and the ability to assume responsibilities? How do you transport a heavy load? By dragging it along by hand or by multiplying its momentum with the right instrument and suitable leverage?

Many political statements made over the last couple of months reveal a disturbing view of the role of the state and the responsibilities of the individual. At their core, many reduce assessments to the following simplistic equation: the state has to spend money to boost the economy. The more public spending, the more impact on growth and job creation.

The best investment in a child's future is not building him a ready-made house, but investing in the skills that allow him to build one on his own Burkhard Balz MEP

This is as much nonsense as the reverse claim, that by spending less alone, without accompanying reforms, problems can be solved.

With leverage you can achieve more

The best investment in a child's future is not building him a ready-made house, but investing in the skills that allow him to build one on his own. Not the strongest, but the smartest weightlifter will lift the heaviest weight. The craftsman who does not use proper tools, wastes time and energy. With leverage you can achieve more.

We do not want a flash in the pan, but a new setting of course, so that individuals can take responsibility and companies can invest

This is also true for the 300-billion-euro Growth Package that Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has announced. Naïve are those who thought it was wise or possible to take so called ‘fresh money’ out of the taxpayer's pockets. A growth package makes sense only if it is efficient, uses the right leverage and aims at sustainable results. We do not want a flash in the pan, but a new setting of course, so that individuals can take responsibility and companies can invest.

That means that, more important than fresh money are the reforms and the conditions a growth package must set.

No growth without reform

Key areas of the Growth Package, where reforms must kick in, are the access of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to finance, the focus of European banks on financing the real economy, new European Investment Bank (EIB) programmes and fearless further steps to complete the European Internal Market, in particular the Digital Single Market. Not least, we have to pay more attention to making Europe an attractive location for industry. There will not be any growth without a functioning, producing industry. Here and in other areas is the leverage we must make use of.

The 300-billion-euro Growth Package must be a comprehensive package of measures, consisting first and foremost of reforms, both at EU level and in particular in the Member States

All this means that the 300-billion-euro Growth Package must not primarily involve borrowing money from our children, but rather a comprehensive package of measures, consisting first and foremost of reforms, both at EU level and in particular in the Member States.

There is no growth without reform.

#reform2grow

We believe in people. #believeinpeople