dear Minister Hansen, 

Excellencies,

dear State Secretary Scheurle and State Secretary Nägele,

dear Director General Ruete,

dear Mayor Allerslev, 

dear members of the European, National and Regional Parliaments,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Today, when you are travelling between Hamburg and Copenhagen and see the Fehmarn Sound Bridge for the first time, you know that you are on the Baltic Sea, but at the same time that you will be able to arrive at your destination without getting your feet wet. This was not always so.

 

For many centuries, Sjælland and Skåne could only be reached from Hamburg by water, past the once dangerous Jammerbucht in the northwest of Jütland and up the Elbe unless animals and wagons and their drivers made the harrowing trip along the so-called Ox Trail. These names make it sufficiently clear that we have made enormous progress in regard to speed and comfort in travel. 

 

Just the same, we aim at taking even bigger steps in the coming years. Involved is an unprecedented vision that we share. Being able to travel between Hamburg and Copenhagen in record time will make it possible for our cities and our countries to become closer than ever before culturally as well as economically. This fixed link will create a new axis which will serve as a driver for the entire region.

 

This is why you are all here, and I am delighted to see this. Let me welcome you in the name of the City of Hamburg. 

 

The Political Forum of the STRING cooperation is meeting in Lübeck and Hamburg during the Fehmarnbelt Days. Hamburg currently has the honour of leading this organisation, and we are very pleased about the high degree of agreement among its partners. 

 

The Strategic Partnership in the Southwest Baltic Sea Region is convinced that a modern rail infrastructure is a crucial prerequisite for the development of the region from Hamburg to Malmö and beyond.

 

In a shared declaration on our collaboration, I joined forces with my Copenhagen colleague Frank Jensen last June in stating that we are in favour of a fast train connection between our two cities. With the fixed link, it should be possible to make this trip in 2 ½ hours.

 

I know that many partners in the STRING collaboration feel that the political engagement of the participants needs to be further intensified in the course of the next two years and I share this view. After all, during this period, decisions are going to be reached regarding an infrastructure that will determine the quality of the links between Scandinavia and Central Europe for at least the coming 25 to 30 years.

 

The treaty between Germany and Denmark on the fixed link constitutes a firmly set bridge pillar. The idea of the fixed link is that of increasing the quality and effectiveness of this relationship and that of opening up regional developmental perspectives.

 

On the Scandinavian side, people have already begun to a far-reaching extent to base investment decisions on these plans that is, working in line with shorter train travel time. We in Germany should do the same. 

 

Additional significant insights will undoubtedly result from the studies on the question of speeds and the bottleneck problem on the line between Hamburg and Copenhagen with which STRING has commissioned the Hamburg consulting firm HTC. They are currently being reviewed by our Department of Trade and Commerce.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Green Growth” is an expression we have learned from the Scandinavians. Green growth can be applied not only in the metropolises which are located on its periphery but also in the rural areas between them. It is one of the means the region has of developing in a way that will make environmentally responsible behaviour and the prevention of CO2 emissions into the signature feature of the entire region. 

 

This may sound highly theoretical at first. But one of the focuses of both of these cities Hamburg as the European Green Capital 2011” and Copenhagen as the First Carbon Neutral Capital 2025” is, after all, the environment. And it is this, in the final analysis, that determines the international image of the region. 

 

The connection between economic growth and the climate-friendly development of products and production is a topic which enjoys particularly high priority in the Scandinavian countries. We can still learn a great deal from them. In like fashion, Hamburg has an outstanding record as a centre of renewable energies.

 

For example, there are the steps involved in the EU Smart Cities” program, with which Hamburg has been entrusted, along with Copenhagen and other cities. Hamburg has a great deal to offer in this area. We have put a lot of thought to the topic of energy generation. After all, it is essential for Germany to succeed in accomplishing a veritable energy turnaround. 

 

Not least, I am thinking of the ITA the International Architecture Exhibition which will take place in the coming year. One of its main focuses will be on precisely this area. 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

New approaches require new knowledge, and this can only profit from international cooperation. There are universities in Lund, Copenhagen, Roskilde, Kiel, Lübeck and Hamburg which are located right in the STRING geographic area. Of course, there are no rigid borders here! Aarhus and the University of Southern Denmark should also be included.

 

There can never be enough scientific collaborations between neighbours, and I am convinced that Hamburg has already clearly set its sights on this target. We have agreed on a cooperation with the University in Aarhus. This and the work between Lund University and DESY have already progressed beyond the level of simple declarations of intent. 

 

This may be the most important characteristic of our shared Baltic Sea region making it possible for us to visit one another, preferably all year round. The Baltic Sea region has an incomparable  cultural flair and is a popular tourist destination. More than this, however, it serves as a very special symbol of the feeling of neighbourliness that can exist between various nations. 

 

The significance of tourism is fortunately still increasing. STRING has taken over the leadership of a joint project of all partners, in which Femern A/S is also involved as a financial backer. Further partnerships, such as those with the Deutsche Bahn or with ferry lines, are being sought. I welcome this. For our part, Hamburg Tourism is part of this project, which involves tourism organizations in the rural regions between the metropolises of Hamburg and Copenhagen.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Being good neighbours as Europe grows closer also involves the way in which we work together.

 

In Scandinavia, in view of the experience gained during the construction of the Öresund Bridge, people are highly conscious of the difficulties of dealing with problems at a very early stage that involve border barriers, especially in connection with work practices. This part of the STRING discussions will still need to be further developed. Perhaps the Political Forum will also be able to provide additional stimuli in this area.

 

The fixed link across the Fehmarn Belt a very important project which will bring Hamburg, Copenhagen and Stockholm closer to one another has been agreed by treaty. It will also bring additional freight and passenger traffic from Scandinavia to the Hamburg railway hub. We are prepared for this, and we are doing our part to contribute to the solution. For example, we are adding additional tracks for the S-Bahn in order to relieve the Hamburg-Lübeck railway line of local traffic.

For ecological reasons as well, Hamburg is positioned clearly in favour of the expansion of rail freight transport. This is in our own interest, too, for only if this occurs will we be able to fulfil the national targets for CO2 reduction and simultaneously provide efficient logistics for reaching the German seaports.

 

This approach is also supported by the EU, which gives high priority to cross-border freight traffic. For this reason, we encourage the North German states to join forces in pressing federal authorities for the demand-oriented expansion of the railway network in the Hamburg hub. 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

At the beginning of my remarks, I spoke of the old land and sea routes between Hamburg and Scandinavia. The sea route has, in fact, already become shorter, too. To make sure that it remains as short and as fast as possible, it is important for the Kiel Canal to be refurbished and aligned to the evolving demands of shipping, so that it does not decrease in importance. Germany has decided to finance the construction of the new Fifth Sluice Chamber at Brunsbüttel. I am very gratified by this, for this clear and long anticipated signal from the government was an absolutely necessity. Following this, the total restoration of the two large sluices in Brunsbüttel which are 97 years old need to be tackled, and we must press ahead with further expansion of the Canal.

 

As you can see, there is plenty to do. And if I am permitted to address a personal wish to Minister Carsten Hansen, it is this: May our mutual ties continue in the future to be reflected in the Danish Consulate General in Hamburg more than ever, in this era of growing convergence. 

 

My best wishes to you for a STRING Political Forum and Fehmarnbelt Days that are both informative and substantive. 

 

Many thanks.