What do the elections in Germany mean for the maritime sector ?
The German Shipsuppliers Association reflects on the new German political leadership
What will the new German government mean for the martitime sector in Germany and the EU? The German Shipsuppliers Association reflects.
On 26 September 2021 60.4 million Germans had the chance to elect a new federal government. The results gave 3 parties - the Social Democrats (SPD), the Green Party and the Liberal Party (FDP) - the chance to form a new coalition. On 7 December the three parties signed a coalition agreement and on 8 December the parliament elected Olaf Scholz (SPD) as new chancellor.
What are the plans of the new government regarding the maritime sector and the 1.35 million people employed in port related industries ?
In general, Scholz’ team plans increased investments in the traffic infrastructure.
The planned “national port strategy” will lead to a positive development of the seaports and will support the transformation process of the ports when it comes to energy transition and digitalization.
In the coalition agreement the new government mentions targets such as faster customs procedures, shore power from renewable resources and climate friendly ship engines.
New offshore wind energy plants will not obstruct the access to the seaports. Germany will try to establish a European fleet modernization programme for the coastal traffic.
At the same time the new government will take the total financial burdens for the maritime sector into consideration. It will be interesting to see whether the partly competing objectives of economy, ecology and society can be balanced.
Jens Pfeiffer, the Chairman of the German Shipsuppliers Association, says: “We are proud to have Olaf Scholz as the new German Chancellor. As former Mayor of Hamburg - the seat of our Association – he is well informed about the maritime sector. We will continue to stay in close contact with the regional and national political stakeholders and our European Association OCEAN will use its well-established relation in Brussels.”
About the German Shipsuppliers Association
The German Shipsuppliers Association represents the interests of the ship supply industry and the companies involved in tax-free trade throughout Germany vis-à-vis all government authorities; it advises and informs members on all commercial issues, informs them on current topics in its newsletters, and endeavours to improve the knowledge of the general public on ship supplying, and to enhance the good reputation of the German ship suppliers. It, therefore, attaches great importance to the membership of reputed companies with a long tradition and experience in the business. The Association was founded in 1947 in Hamburg, and is still based there today.
At present there are over 100 ship supply companies in Germany, the vast majority being members of the German Shipsuppliers Association. Membership includes general suppliers, technical suppliers, wholesalers and manufacturers of electronics, food, beverages, tobacco and luxury goods, duty-free shops and owners of cruise ships and excursion liners. Most members operate small and medium size businesses, employing between 10 and 30 people; the largest companies have more than 100 employees.
Many of the German ship supply companies have been established for decades, and some are more than 100 years old, having survived all the difficulties throughout that period. As ship operation becomes more technical and more automated, ship supply is getting more and more complicated too, and that has led to further specialisation. At the same time, this development gives ship suppliers an increasingly important role to play as specialised traders, giving an extremely wide range of services for maritime transport. Ship suppliers have become an indispensable element in port operations.
Please find more information on the Association´s web site www.shipsuppliers.de
