HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) - The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Hamburg Business Association have called for significantly more commitment from the city and the federal government to Germany's largest port. In the opinion of both institutions, the efforts made to date are not sufficient to make the port fit for the future as the economic heart of the city. The port development plan presented last year lacks concrete ideas and a clear roadmap. According to the Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce President Norbert Aust and the President of the Business Association, Ulfert Cornelius, have therefore written a letter to Mayor Peter Tschentscher and Senator for Economic Affairs Melanie Leonhard (both SPD) in which they set out their ideas for a port development plan.

"With our impulse, we want to initiate an urgently needed and sustainable growth strategy for the economic heart of our city," Chamber of Commerce President Aust told the German Press Agency. In particular, a supply-oriented land policy and the establishment of new companies or holdings could increase international competitiveness, including in container handling. Cornelius emphasized: "The common goal must be for the Port of Hamburg to regain its attractiveness as an international maritime location for handling, logistics and industry and to become competitive with other European locations."

The port companies have already initiated fundamental transformation processes and cost reductions, Cornelius told dpa. "However, it is also necessary that the existing structural disadvantages, such as excessively long approval procedures, excessive costs, infrastructure in need of renovation and too much bureaucracy, are now quickly and consistently eliminated." A successful port is largely dependent on a competitive environment and efficient infrastructure, emphasized Cornelius.

According to the information provided, the port currently handles 40 percent of all German sea freight. It generates around 1.5 billion euros in tax revenue for the metropolitan region every year. The federal government, in turn, profits up to 30 billion euros annually from customs revenue from the port alone.

"However, while in the neighboring countries of the Netherlands and Belgium sufficient funding for the ports is considered an important government task, the port burden equalization in Germany has remained unchanged for almost two decades at around 38 million euros - for all German seaports combined," says the paper by the Chamber of Commerce and business association. The city must - also in the North German association - vehemently lobby the federal government for an increase in port load balancing to at least 400 million euros per year.

"The federal government must focus much more intensively on its task of strengthening the competitiveness and future viability of German seaports," the paper states. First and foremost, however, the Senate must ensure reliable funding that takes into account the need for investment in port infrastructure. Hamburg must also lobby the federal government to ensure that import sales tax is levied under conditions that do not put German ports at a disadvantage compared to other EU ports.

Public investment in infrastructure such as flood protection, quay walls, maintaining the fairway or continuous coverage of the Elbe with 5G mobile communications has also been slow and inadequate to date. The same applies to the nationwide transport infrastructure, such as the hinterland connection to the Fehmarnbelt fixed link. Furthermore, the city must make larger areas available to the port. By reallocating areas in the central port, more than 100 hectares would potentially be available./klm/DP/zb