THE MINISTER
Bundesminister Alexander Dobrindt
Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur
Invalidenstraße 44
D-10115 Berlin
E-mail:
Date
Our ref.
16. februar 2017
2016-6332
Ministry of Transport,
Building, and Housing
Frederiksholms Kanal 27 F
DK-1220 Copenhagen K
Phone
+45 41 71 27 00
Dear Minister Dobrindt, dear colleague,
Thank you very much for your warm greetings on the occasion of my appoint-
ment as Minister for Transport, Building and Housing.
I appreciate that you have been in contact with the Federal Ministry for the
Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety on the impact
for the fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt of the EU decision of 10 November
2016 on setting up criteria and methodological standards on good environmen-
tal status of marine waters and specifications and standardised methods for
monitoring and assessment.
On the basis of the decision a number of working groups will be set up to pre-
pare specific proposals on threshold values and methods, including threshold
values on underwater noise if possible. Our state-owned company Femern A/S
is in close contact with the Danish environmental authorities on this.
As I mentioned to you during our brief conversation in Paris on 31 January
2017 I am worried about the Schleswig-Holstein authorities’ plan approval pro-
cess concerning the immersed tunnel under the Fehmarnbelt.
As announced in November 2016 on 15 February 2017 Femern A/S submitted
to the approval authority in Schleswig-Holstein the answers to the 12,600 re-
sponses received during the second public hearing in 2016. The company took
all necessary steps and used all available resources to produce answers of a
high quality. The company engaged 150 international and German experts on
safety, environment, technical issues, legal issues and EU regulation in prepar-
ing the answers. Some of the most skilled German advisors and experts within
these subject areas contributed to the answers.
However, it is also important to the process that the company receives the nec-
essary advice from the authorities in Schleswig-Holstein.
On 12 December 2016 Minister Meyer informed me that the plan approval pro-
cess is currently six months delayed. The Schleswig-Holstein authorities have
not yet prepared a new timetable. Minister Meyer expects that the need for a
new timetable will be clarified during March 2017 and he has informed me that
he expects to visit me in Copenhagen on 27 March 2017.