Following the recent German elections, coalition negotiations are still underway, but the current Bundestag has already approved a debt reform that will enable substantial infrastructure investments in the coming years.
To ensure that our region and the Fehmarnbelt corridor remain a high priority, STRING has sent a policy paper emphasizing the strategic importance of the Fehmarnbelt connection to the leaders of the Transport and Infrastructure working group: Ina Scharrenbach (CDU), Ulrich Lange (CSU), and Klara Geywitz (SPD).
The policy paper highlights the urgency of completing the feeder routes on the German side of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel by 2029—the year the tunnel is set to open. There are significant economic and geopolitical benefits associated with this infrastructure. Prioritizing the feeder routes will enable the incoming federal government to maximize the full potential of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel.
In particular, rail freight transport requires substantial upgrades on the German side. Due to a tight timeline and complex authorization processes, there is a real risk that these necessary upgrades will not be completed by 2029. Failure to meet this deadline could compromise Germany’s and the broader STRING region’s ability to achieve crucial EU targets regarding modal shift, CO₂ reduction, and economic benefits. Additionally, the recent NATO expansion to include Sweden and Finland underscores the critical need for enhanced transport networks connecting to the Nordic countries, with the Fehmarnbelt tunnel serving as the primary rail and road link.
