Ambassador Valdez,
Minister Ballen Mancero,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here in Hamburg we are very fond of the classic understatement. Perhaps too fond at times - compared, for example, with a glorious statement once made by Eloy Alfaro. Over a hundred years ago this famous president and modernizer of Ecuador was asked to inaugurate a new railway route, and did so with the words, Such triumphs delight the spirit and elevate the nation to the next rung on the ladder of its eternal striving.” (Estos triunfos no solo alegran el espíritu, sino que dignifican y elevan a los pueblos en la escala de sus aspiraciones infinitas.”)

Then there was a big party - and quite rightly so! When the inventive spirit triumphs over huge distances, shrinking space by rail or by ocean-going ship, entire nations draw closer together. As a cosmopolitan city of shipping and world trade, Hamburg, arguably the most international metropolis in Germany, knows how important close relationships between the continents are.

And for that very reason, we may feel unreservedly happy today, taking pleasure in a European-Latin American conference like this one, whose chosen topic for discussion this time is cluster policy. You could not have picked a better venue than Hamburg.

With around 100 consulates, Hamburg is one of Europe’s major diplomatic locations.

One of the reasons that people at home and abroad - to choose an up-to-date example - are confident that we would make a success of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024/2028 is that we feel at ease on the international stage.

And our relations with Latin America are especially close and long-standing, even more so after the founding, in 1871, of the steamship line Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft”. Back then, in Alfaro’s day, trains were still and ships already powered by steam. In the intervening period, our city has developed into the centre of international trade between Germany and Latin America. And in this context numerous firms, institutions and people engaged in business, politics and the sciences, form part of a trans-Atlantic network.

By the way, this March the Hamburg-Süd” as it is now known, took over CCNI line’s regular services between the west coast of South America and Asia, North America and Europe. This agreement with the Chilean firm increases the volume carried by the German shipping group by ten per cent.

Close inter-continental collaboration is also well illustrated by another Hamburg shipping company: following the merger between Hapag-Lloyd and CSAV from Chile in the container business, five new container ships have just been ordered for the South American routes through the widened Panama Canal.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
A second reason why I believe Hamburg is a good venue for your conference is our talent for innovation, which will shine through especially well in our cluster management.
The metropolitan region of Hamburg with some five million inhabitants is part of Europe, which in turn is home to 500 million people and 220 million workers. Hamburg Port remains one of the most important centres of trade in Europe. Every year
around 140  million tonnes of sea freight are handled here.

And Hamburg is a major industrial location, one of the biggest in Europe. At the same time the tertiary sector is growing and offering ever more services to business, thanks to the terrific speed with which information and communications technologies are developing.

Growth depends on the ability to innovate and it is only logical that a few years ago local businesses, universities, associations and the Senate joined forces to establish our Innovation Alliance for Hamburg”. It is concerned with business areas like renewable energies - think for example of fuel cell and wind energy technology; indeed, Hamburg sees itself as Germany’s wind power capital. Equally as important are materials science, lasers, nanotechnology, marine technology and the fields of mobility and logistics.

A fundamental element in our innovation strategy has to be a successful cluster policy, and we have realized that this is the only way to attract and retain companies and skilled workers. Hamburg sees itself not only as provider of funds, but above all as a long-term partner, moderator and supplier of ideas. We feel that open collaboration between partners in a climate of mutual trust is most important.

We now have eight clusters. The clusters for aviation, logistics, media plus IT and life sciences are very well established. We also see great potential in the creative sector, in health, in the maritime industry and in renewable energies.

In setting up cluster centres in the educational sector, such as Hamburg Centre of Aviation Training, the Centre for Applied Aviation Research and the Hamburg Logistics Institute, we have opened up spaces where business, educational and research interests can come together.

Additionally, the Senate creates the kind of environment that has enabled three Fraunhofer projects to be set up in Hamburg: the Fraunhofer Centre for Maritime Logistics and Services (CML) and the Fraunhofer IME ScreeningPort have already permanently settled in Hamburg. The presence of the Fraunhofer Applications Centre Power Electronics for Renewable Energy Systems at the University of Applied Sciences (HAW) means that Hamburg now even has a third Fraunhofer facility in the city. In the context of our cluster policy these three institutes lead to improved collaboration between business and academic circles because they emphasize applications-oriented research.

Additional doors are opened when clusters cooperate at national or international level. The EU considers such cross clustering” processes to be huge opportunities for further development and has identified Hamburg as one of six regions where outstanding, modern cluster policies are pursued. Therefore we are now working with experts from the European Commission and the various players in Hamburg to develop a cross clustering concept for the city. The aim is that in future the potential for innovation and added value found in the areas of overlap between clusters can be better exploited here in the city. The project is due for completion by the end of the year and we are very eager to learn the results.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Hamburg is happy to share its experiences in this sector with others and I am delighted that you, the representatives from regions and countries in Europe and Latin America will be discussing the significance of cluster policies at this conference.

I thank EU-LAC for their dedication. My personal wish for all of you is that you make valuable contacts and have a pleasant stay in our city of Hamburg.
Thank you very much.

Es gilt das gesprochene Wort.