The Associations DSLV, DVF, and VDR on the New Federal Government

The coalition agreement of the SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, and FDP is in place, and the new direction is becoming visible. The transport associations DSLV Federal Association of Freight Forwarders and Logistics, the German Transport Forum (DVF), and the Association of German Shipowners (VDR) express their views on the contents. Here is a summary of the statements from the association chairpersons.

DSLV Managing Director Frank Huster

(Berlin) The coalition agreement presented on November 24, 2021, by the SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, and FDP is an overall balanced foundation for a forward-looking transport policy, according to the initial assessment of the DSLV Federal Association of Freight Forwarders and Logistics. “The declarations of intent from the coalition parties address numerous topics relevant to logistics. It is encouraging that the coalition partners fundamentally recognize that mobility is a central component of public welfare and for the competitiveness of Germany as an economic and logistics location with future-proof jobs,” notes DSLV Managing Director Frank Huster. This also includes the increased willingness to invest in the expansion and modernization of infrastructure, including waterways, port hinterland connections, and fiber optic expansion.

It will be crucial whether the government can actually generate sufficient financial resources for infrastructure investments, advance the digitization of planning and approval processes, and establish a successful dialogue process with transport, environmental, economic, and consumer protection associations to achieve general public acceptance of the needs planning review.

Demands from the DSLV for the implementation of climate protection efforts are partially taken up. The introduction of a CO2 differentiation in the truck toll was already set – however, it is important that the statement excludes multiple burdens on the economy through a CO2 price and that state surpluses flow back into mobility. “However, the wording raises concerns that the financing cycle for roads will be broken at this point,” criticizes Huster. On the other hand, the intention to support the European Commission’s proposals for the establishment of alternative refueling and charging infrastructure for trucks and to prioritize the needs is to be welcomed.

Support for Strengthening the Modal Split

The DSLV supports the intention of the SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, and FDP to strengthen the modal split share of rail freight transport. DSLV’s demands for further promotion of combined transport terminals, rail connections, and the craneability of truck trailers have been considered, as well as the exemption of incoming and outgoing traffic from the truck toll. However, the coalition parties remain too vague regarding the urgently needed reform of the integrated state-owned company Deutsche Bahn, whose infrastructure units within the group are to be merged into a new, public welfare-oriented infrastructure division. Huster: “It is important that competition in the rail freight market can develop even better and that access to the transport network continues to be non-discriminatory.”

For the competitiveness of Germany as an economic and logistics location, uniform European conditions for import sales tax are an important building block. Therefore, the coalition’s intention to further develop this with the federal states is to be welcomed.

Missed Path to Modern Labor Law

Unfortunately, the coalition parties are missing the path to modern labor law and thus do not live up to their reputation as a progressive coalition. Instead of fundamentally adapting the Working Hours Act to the advances in digitization, the SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, and FDP want to limit more flexible working time models solely to collective agreements and company agreements.

Huster: “Logistics is a crucial hinge between the global value creation stages of industry and trade. For this, the industry needs political framework conditions that stabilize the economic, ecological, and social pillars of sustainability. The DSLV is always open to constructive dialogue with the new federal government.”
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Ralf Nagel, Executive Board Member of the Association of German Shipowners (VDR)

(Hamburg) “We congratulate the coalition parties for presenting results so quickly – because time is of the essence. The coalition agreement now sets a good framework for the upcoming discussions between maritime shipping, the new federal government, and the Bundestag. We look at this very optimistically.”

“We welcome that the coalition partners have recognized that the economic burdens for shipping on the way to the climate neutrality we also strive for must not be so high that the location Germany is weakened. We will need to modernize the fleets and will also need external support for that.”
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Chairman of the DVF Executive Board Prof. Dr.-Ing. Raimund Klinkner

(Berlin) The German Transport Forum evaluates the transport policy initiatives of the future coalition partners of the SPD, Greens, and FDP positively in principle.

“At the beginning of the coalition negotiations, we already said that financing, speed, and acceptance are the three most important topics for the new transport minister. The coalition agreement addresses this in many places,” praised the chairman of the DVF Executive Board Prof. Dr.-Ing. Raimund Klinkner the submitted draft. Thus, the further investment ramp-up and the introduction of financing cycles for climate protection measures in transport, for example, in tolls or air traffic charges, are important projects. That the coalition wants to create the basic prerequisites for accelerating planning and approval in the first year of government with a comprehensive catalog of measures is appropriate to the urgency of this task. The planned climate money and the commitment to the BEHG price path until 2025 show that the coalition partners want to secure the long-term social acceptance of the transformation.

“Of great importance for the transport sector are the extensive initiatives in the energy sector,” emphasized Klinkner. “The rapid expansion of facilities and networks, the relief in electricity prices through the abolition of the EEG levy, the intended coupling of sectors, the inclusion of road traffic in the Europe-wide emissions trading system – all of this is essential prerequisites for the success of the major transformation in the mobility sector that the DVF has long demanded.”

That the new federal government wants to bring the digital network to fiber optic standard and the latest mobile communications standard is commendable, according to the DVF president. “However, it is now important not only to bring together competencies and tasks as announced but also to streamline the funding structures for this and to advance the nationwide expansion unbureaucratically. However, a central success factor for digitization is missing: the strengthening of the federal government in data protection to guarantee nationwide uniform standards in the application of the legal framework.”

Failed to Address the Source of Investment Funds

Despite all the positive approaches, DVF President Klinkner misses a stronger securing of the investment ramp-up in infrastructure through fund models, for example, in rail and waterways – especially since the coalition agreement fails to answer the question of the source of the large investment funds while simultaneously adhering to the debt brake from 2023. “It is important that we fully finance the major investment tasks ahead of us – this saves time and reduces costs. We still lack commitment here,” warned Klinkner.

“That we do not block the opportunities for innovation in implementing the mobility transition by technological pre-determinations on certain types of drives is laid out in the coalition agreement. Now it is about ensuring through concrete measures that we actually maintain this openness,” Klinkner concluded.