Lord Mayor, 

Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce,

Excellency, Consul General, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much. I gladly accept your invitation. And joining forces will bring out the best in us.

Copenhagen and Hamburg do share a common vision. It seems we share a common spirit as well. 

Many people in Hamburg are devoted to the Baltic See anyway, and its coastlines. And Hamburg likes to be called Germany´s Most Scandinavian City”. That covers food, drink, and the weather.  

But come rain or shine: It is in large cities like Copenhagen and Hamburg that decisions have always been made regarding the future of our society. This is where trend-setting ideas originate, where new directions are taken.

Both our Metropolitan Regions have strong regional economies, with 5 Million people living and working in the Hamburg one, and both of us know only balance between strong economic development and sustainability will ensure its continued success.

As you mentioned tourism, I was pleased to hear the news that five project organizations have joined forces this week. One of them calls itself Wonderful Copenhagen” and quite rightly so.   

They have agreed on a partnership in the Building Tourism” project, which is a part of the STRING regional development project. This involves both our cities and Paragraph 11 is my favourite one, quote: Dispute among the partners will be solved amicably.”

Thank you very much indeed.  

The spoken word applies.