With a new structure and focused efforts, the Danish and German partners in the Fehmarn Belt Committee are coming closer together to ensure progress in the work of creating a joint cross-border Fehmarn Belt Region ahead of the opening of the fixed Fehmarn link in 2029.
The Danish-German committee was founded in 2009 and has since worked on a range of topics of mutual interest, including business, education, and culture.
"We are now entering a new phase where a more effective and focused organization with an advisory board will set the guidelines and initiate activities to help secure an integrated Danish-German region in 2029," says Stig Rømer Winther, Director of Femern Belt Development, which serves as the Danish secretariat for the committee.
Twelve Mayors Set the Direction
The committee's advisory board consists of six mayors from each side of the Fehmarn Belt. The committee itself has 32 members, including not only politicians but also representatives from business, labor, culture, and tourism sectors.
Geographically, the committee covers Region Zealand and its municipalities on the Danish side, and Kreis Ostholstein, Kreis Plön, and the Hanseatic City of Lübeck on the German side.
Landrat Timo Gaarz of Kreis Ostholstein is the chairman of the committee until the end of 2024, after which Mayor Holger Schou Rasmussen of Lolland Municipality will take over, as the committee alternates between a German chairman in even years and a Danish chairman in odd years.
The Committee's Three Focus Areas
For the upcoming period, the Fehmarn Belt Committee has identified three key areas of activity:
- Strengthening the cross-border integration process, with a focus on the labor market, education, culture, society, and economy.
- Capitalizing on opportunities during the construction phase of the Fehmarn project, with a focus on business and cultural possibilities, while identifying additional opportunities.
- Promoting mobility in the Fehmarn Belt Region, focusing on commuter traffic, connecting public transport to the fixed Fehmarn link, and cross-border public transport.
Danish-German Cooperation Has Never Been Better
"The Danish-German cooperation has really gained momentum and, as we approach the end of 2024, it has never functioned better. Our German partners have truly come on board and are highly interested in carrying out a series of activities and projects that will bring us closer together and help create the green Fehmarn Belt Region of the future,"says Stig Rømer Winther, Director of Femern Belt Development.