1: Economy - The harbour as an economic factor

The capacitiy of the harbours of Cologne should be developed

Andreas Kossiski, regional president of the German Federation of Trade Unions in Cologne-Bonn, says that Cologne is “the leading hub for European trade”. According to Kossiski, “over a third of the goods that are transshipped to Dutch and Belgian harbours <were> previously or subsequently shipped via the Rhine”. The Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development predicts that transshipment to Dutch harbours will increase significantly until 2025.

Andreas Kossiski says that in order to deal with this growth, development of the harbour facilities of Cologne, especially in Cologne Godorf, is also necessary: “If the Godorf Harbour is not developed, the Cologne-Bonn region will be excluded from future development”. This also means that no additional jobs and trainee positions in the industrial and services sector will be created.

According to Wolfgang Reß, director of the Arbeitgebervereins Köln (Employers’ Association of Cologne), the development of Godorf Harbour is important for other reasons as well: “If Godorf Harbour is not developed, there will be a heavier strain on the roads and railway system. This will harm the environment and disadvantages Cologne and the region as a business location”.

However, there are also opinions on the development of inland waterway transport – for example, that of Paul Kröfkes’ from Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) or Rainer Lucas’ from the Assessment Institute Citizen Consultation.