\n<\/p>\n
Around 2,500 German companies have joined an association promoting social diversity and political tolerance.<\/p>\n
“Cosmopolitanism and the promotion of democracy are not cost factors, but investments in the future viability of companies,” Sylvia Pfefferkorn, the chair of Business for a Cosmopolitan Germany, said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
It is not just start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises that are getting involved, she said, but also large corporations and their subsidiaries such as Volkswagen and Infineon.<\/p>\n
“Every responsible company must ask itself whether it wishes to adhere to a stable and humane set of values,” the association wrote on its website.<\/p>\n
The alliance wants to advocate among politicians and in the media for democracy, a strong, peaceful Europe and diversity.<\/p>\n
The association takes a particularly clear stance on immigration policy, believing the German economy needs skilled migrant workers who will remain part of society in the long term.<\/p>\n
The alliance finds itself at odds with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, arguing that the far-right party’s election manifestos are detrimental to the EU and to the freedom of academia and the media.<\/p>\n
Board member B\u00e4rbel Boy says that business leaders are particularly well-placed to strengthen democratic values among their workforce because they “still have access to groups that often can no longer be reached through other channels”.<\/p>\n
The association cites the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, which found that 74% of employees trust their employer. Just under half of those surveyed trusted the business sector as a whole (48%) and the media (46%), while even fewer trusted the government (42%) and NGOs (41%). The study surveyed a representative sample of 1,200 people in Germany.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n