REPLIK: Knud Erik Andersen og andre kritikere af Femern-forbindelsen overser, at solid infrastruktur er en forudsætning for vækst og eksport, skriver Thomas Becker, administrerende direktør i STRING.

Read more

Region of Southern Denmark has joined the political member organisation STRING. As of today, October 1^st 2020, the board of STRING unanimously agreed to expand the STRING organisation with the Region of Southern Denmark. This means that STRING now represents 13 regions and cities, covering the geography between Hamburg and Oslo.

The Chair of the Region of Southern Denmark, Stephanie Lose, is pleased to finally join STRING, having previously been an observer:

“We are excited to join STRING. The Region of Southern Denmark shares the ambitions of STRING to position Northern Europa as a megaregion fostered by green growth and connected through sustainable transport connectivity. We are looking forward to strengthening our collaboration with the members of STRING and to join the important work on the national as well as European planning and legislation on sustainable infrastructure and green growth. We believe that we are stronger together, and lending our voice to those of the other STRING partners will make us a force to be reckoned with, not least in Brussels, and when it comes to broadening the opportunities for our inhabitants. ”

The expansion of STRING will enhance the organisation’s work to promote Green Mobility from Hamburg via Jutland and Copenhagen to Oslo. Furthermore, the expansion is a crucial stepping-stone in accelerating the Northern European megaregion built by STRING.

The Chairman of STRING, Minister Claus Christian Claussen from the Land of Schleswig-Holstein, wholeheartedly welcomes the Region of Southern Denmark as a new member of STRING:

“As Chairman of STRING, I am pleased to further strengthen our collaboration with the Region of Southern Denmark within the framework of STRING. The Region of Southern Denmark is home to world-class green industries and has a solid experience of bridging the gap between the private and public sector to foster green growth. Furthermore, Region of Southern Denmark brings valuable experience with placing Northern European cross-border issues at all levels of governance, not least when it comes to infrastructure, which will be a great asset to STRING. In turn, STRING gives the Region of Southern Denmark a platform to strengthen ties to the rest of Scandinavia and Germany, be an integral and structural part of a crucial European transport network, and position themselves as part of a megaregion with all the many benefits this presents for inhabitants in terms of employment, educational and cultural choice. To me, this is a perfect win-win situation for all of us.’’

ABOUT STRING

• STRING is a political member organisation in Northern Europe.
• STRING connects cities and regions to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and implement integrated policies to deliver on United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities.
• The 13 STRING members are: The City of Oslo, Viken County County, the City of Gothenburg, Region Västra Götaland, the City of Gothenburg, Region Halland, Region Skåne, the City of Malmö, the City of Copenhagen, Region Zealand, the Captial Region of Denmark, Region of Southern Denmark, Land Schleswig-Holstein and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
• STRING’s common vision is to create a megaregion, globally acknowledged as a Green Hub and a leading implementer of sustainable infrastructure, to combat climate change while improving the lives of our citizens.

STRING has launched a new analysis, clearly showing the scope for alternative financing from the EU CEF programme as a co-financing option for double tracking the Gothenburg-Oslo railway stretch

STRING’s standpoint is that an improvement of the existing railway stretch between Göteborg- Oslo to double track and deployment of potential for highspeed rail services is essential to overcome the prospective challenges for traffic in the entire corridor when the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link is in place. Together with actions to attract more rail freight between Sweden and Norway, the double track investment is necessary to create jobs, sustain economic growth and improve the quality of the environment in the STRING geography – as pushing for new rail solutions is deemed the only sustainable alternative for mid-length travels.

As financing for such infrastructure solely from own national resources seems unlikely, one of the options to be investigated is whether there is an opportunity to apply for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to co-fund the double tracks construction project.

This report provides guidance to the STRING partners on whether any CEF funding would be applicable to the co-funding of a double railway track construction project between Oslo and Göteborg and what kind of pre-requisites and provisions need to be considered.

DEBATT. Tillsammans med Danmark, delar av Norge och norra Tyskland kan vi bli ett kraftcentrum för gröna teknologiska lösningar som kan säljas och utvecklas i hela världen. Men det kräver att regeringen börjar se på Tyskland som en lika naturlig granne som Danmark och Norge, skriver Thomas Becker, vd, String

Read more