HAMBURG. The proposal by Maritime Coordinator Christoph Ploß to extend the Infrastructure Special Fund to include seaports and waterways met with broad approval from the Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS) and the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) at the end of May 2026. Both organisations view this as an important signal and are calling for concrete measures to be taken. “Germany’s seaports perform national tasks relating to security of supply, the energy transition, as well as security and defence capabilities. It is therefore logical that the federal government should provide greater support for port infrastructure in future than it has done to date,” said Florian Keisinger, Chief Executive of the ZDS. And Laura Pooth, Chair of DGB Nord, added: “Investing in ports means investing in good jobs, industrial value creation and secure supply chains throughout Germany.” According to the ZDS, the funding requirement for projects that can be implemented immediately stands at around 5.5 billion euros. In the long term, therefore, a fundamental reform of port financing is needed – as the structural funding requirement amounts to 15 billion euros. According to the ZDS and the DGB, the federal and state governments must jointly take responsibility for both.
Photo: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
