Europe in the heart’s core and one’s own country in mind, this attitude should not be at all criticized. To the contrary, if Europe is to become a united and strong continent, keep the cultural roots of people in the European countries alive, not only verbally as compulsory exercise but with passion and emphatically. Even if this does sometimes cause woes. We do have to support and if necessary defend it. I did point this out after the election of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and I referred to him as kind of a role model in this context.

Europe’s strength comes from its plurality. The unequalled passion of the Swedish people for the outdoor life, the art of Italians to create a familiar atmosphere at any restaurant, the intellectual brilliance of the French, the uniqueness of German cars, the often copied but never achieved taste of an original Pilsner beer, all of this should not be allowed to fall victim to “Made in Europe” or a new European unity image. We should not trust politicians who assure us that it is the plurality of Europe they advocate, because in Brussels and Strasbourg they make exactly the type of politics and cement the type of laws and regulations that achieve exactly what needs to be prevented. How do we go about that? Through overemphasizing especially the first two elements of the SchmidPreissler brand definition, history and origin, in every company strategy.

That especially Germans have a problem with placing national values and all consequences derived from them in first place, and among them most of all politicians, is due to the fact that, figuratively speaking, Germans differently than for instance the French possess only insufficient intellectual elbows and thus often laps into a European spinning of tales in order to deflect placement at the back rows, when it comes to enforcement of national interests. Specifically in competition with the French, German politicians have to accept one subordinated second place after the other, because compared to the French they do not have to offer up enough outstanding personalities in political circles. This lack going on in politics should not be allowed to emerge in the business world.

It is absolutely possible to be a good European and still profess to ones cultural heritage. In this context I often think of my American friends and business partners who mention in every conversation or meeting, that their parents or grandparents descend from Denmark or Poland, Germany or Sweden.

For me, history and origin of a company have to be deep-seated in its strategy and I am committed to making sure that specifically the aspects of history and origin are lived.