60 percent of foreign trade passes through German seaports. The coastal states therefore believe that the federal government needs to be significantly more involved in the national port task.
The federal government wants to strengthen German ports. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) said in Berlin that a national strategy should be used to support the states in advancing the ports. The federal cabinet had previously decided on a national port strategy. The German ports should be made fit for the future. “With 139 measures we want to ensure that our ports become resilient and digital. We need our seaports,” said Wissing. They are important for exports and for energy policy issues.
Wissing expressed reservations about demands from the states that the federal government should provide more money for the ports. The minister said that responsibilities were clearly distributed. “Responsibility for the ports lies with the states. The federal government is responsible for transport connections.” The federal government has invested half a billion a year in each of the past ten years. The federal government stands by its financial responsibility. “It’s clear: If there are projects that we want to push forward together that are in the federal interest, then we are committed to providing financial resources. But we want to proceed in such a way that we say: First we need the plans, then we can clarify the financial issues.”
The port strategy is not simply about the allocation of financial resources. It is a strategy for how the ports should be advanced, for example in digitalization.
Source: Stern
