The practice of legal impact assessment has so far not taken into account the peculiarities of family businesses at national or European level. This is not surprising, because the actors involved in the legislative process are unlikely to be aware of the particularities of family businesses and the specific relevance of many regulations for such businesses. A family business test is intended to help close this "legislative awareness gap". Such a test is intended to expand the toolbox of German and European legislators with an aid instrument tailored to the specific circumstances of family societies, thus raising the legislator's awareness of the consequences of his actions, especially for family societies; this in turn is intended to protect the affected family societies and with them the national economy from unintended negative effects. The family business test could and should complement the SME test at national level and find its way into the "toolbox" at European level. It should be seen against the background that family societies have characteristics that set them apart from other societies.weiterlesen