Elections will be held on Sunday - not only in the federal government! The state parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is also looking for a new composition at the end of its five-year legislative period. With over 2,000 kilometres of coastline, the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has the longest coastline of any federal state and plays a leading role nationally and in some cases globally with its ports, shipyards and the maritime on- and offshore industry.
The election programmes of the two mainstream parties represented in the state parliament and the Wahl-O-Mat should help us with this! This is a digital comparison tool for the programmes and positions of the parties in state, federal and European elections. It is published by the Federal Agency for Civic Educationwhich is assigned to the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
According to the Wahl-O-Mat editorial team 24 parties that will be standing in the upcoming state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on 26 September 2021 have answered the theses. Citizens then have the choice to rate each thesis as "agree", "neutral" or "disagree", or to skip the thesis completely and not include it in the final assessment. Finally, you can assign a double weighting to individual theses if they are particularly important to you. Overall, the Wahl-O-Mat for the state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 38 theses. Finally, you can select the parties with which you would like to compare your results on the theses.
As always, it is important to bear this in mind when using it: "A high level of agreement between your answers and several parties does not necessarily mean that these parties are close in terms of content."
How maritime is the election in MV?
Or rather, how strongly are theses with direct or indirect maritime significance represented in the parties' programmes? The following questions came to our attention when sifting through the 38 opinion theses that have a maritime significance in the narrow or broadest sense:
Thesis No. 1 - "The expansion of onshore wind power is to be accelerated in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern."
Thesis No. 08 - "The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should be allowed to go into operation as planned."
Thesis No. 37 - "The state should continue to provide guarantees for the MV shipyards."
Thesis No. 38 - "The rewetting of drained moors in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is to be accelerated."
An overview with the responses of the 24 parties to the Wahl-O-Mat theses can be found here as a PDF.
What do the parties say?
We have taken a look at the election programmes of the two main parties represented in the state parliament and would like to present the key maritime content here:
From the SPD's state election programme for MV 2021
Industrial policy
The maritime industry has a special tradition in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Shipbuilding is part of the industrial core of our state. The shipyards and their suppliers are under increased pressure to modernise on the global markets. We will support the companies in specialising and developing new innovations. The maritime industry only has a future if it is willing to change. The SPD is clearly behind the shipyards, the maritime industry and the jobs available there. Thousands of people find work not only in the six shipyards, but also in the hundreds of suppliers and service companies in the maritime industry. Here too, however, we are working towards a socio-ecological reorganisation and thus towards the future viability of the industry; in favour of environmentally friendly technologies and fair working conditions! The locations of Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund and Mukran, for example, show how structural change can succeed in conjunction with the intelligent development of harbour areas and the establishment of new industrial companies on the quayside. We expressly support this approach.
Transport
The logistics industry is an important economic sector in our country - and it is also an important component of mobility. This includes our strong harbours, which remain and belong in public hands in the long term as a public service. We want to position our efficient ports even better, establish new pillars such as the energy industry and, in particular, strengthen the traditional links between our ports and Scandinavia and Eurasia, especially the Baltic states and Russia, and place them at the centre of the search for new (old) transport routes. This also includes stabilising and further expanding traffic on the New Silk Road, which leads from China via Russian ports to Rostock and Sassnitz-Mukran and back. We will continue to improve transport links, particularly to the major ports of Rostock, Stralsund, Sassnitz-Mukran and Wismar. And we will actively support the logistics sector in switching to sustainable and climate-friendly drive concepts for vehicle fleets. This starts with shore power connections for ships through to the refuelling infrastructure for hydrogen trucks. The future completion of the Fehmarn-Belt fixed link offers opportunities in the western part of the state to connect to newly emerging logistics chains there and to enable value creation along the future route, but for the state's ports, especially in Wismar and Rostock, this will also change the competitive situation in the Baltic Sea region. This must take place under fair competitive conditions between private ferry services to Scandinavia and the Fehmarn-Belt crossing, which is partly supported by public law. There must be no state-subsidised tariffs for the new crossing that distort competition. The state will support the ports in their legitimate defence of their interests with the competition authorities in Brussels. At the same time, we will advocate improving the attractiveness of the railway lines in MV for freight transport as part of the creation of the Fehmarn-Belt link. This requires the construction of sufficiently long passing tracks and the provision of diversionary routes. This requires the support of the federal government.
[...] In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, air transport is an infrastructural task for longer distances within Germany and Europe. An adequate range of flights is important both for the further development of the tourist region and for the business and science location. The regional airport Rostock-Laage serves this purpose for the centrally located parts of the state, which is why it also has a state-wide significance. With its central location within the state, it can fulfil the aforementioned tasks in a central location. In addition, it has gained significant importance for the cruise business of the Port of Rostock, and together with the Port of Rostock (Port Rostock) and Deutsche Bahn, we want to increase the attractiveness of the arrival and return journey by rail for cruise tourists from Germany.
Angling and fishing
Coastal and inland fishing should continue to characterise our country. We cannot imagine our harbour locations without the "cultural asset of the fishing boat". There is a high risk for the future of Sassnitz/Mukran as a processing location due to Brexit and permanently low Baltic Sea herring catch quotas. A further reduction in catch quotas in the western Baltic Sea, particularly for herring and cod, will lead to the abandonment of traditional cutter and coastal fishing in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern or to disorganised, ineffective structural change. Together with the industry, we will develop a future programme for coastal fishing. We will develop sites for marine projects for sustainable, environmentally friendly aquaculture. The state has set significant milestones in this traditional sector for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by leasing state waters to inland fishermen and anglers on a long-term basis, supporting applied fisheries research and establishing aquaculture companies. Together with the members of the State Anglers' Association, the former State Fisheries Association and the environmental organisations, we have found workable compromises to resolve the conflicts between the interests of anglers and fishermen (value creation from healthy fish stocks) and environmental interests (protection of fish-eaters such as grey seals and cormorants).
Energy
In the mobility sector, we will see a mix of drive technologies and energy sources in the future. Battery-electric drives will form the core of mobility as the most efficient form. For this, we need an efficient and comprehensive charging infrastructure. Hydrogen and hydrogen-based technologies will play an important role, especially in heavy goods transport, agriculture, overseas and air transport. The refuelling infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles with fuel cells must be expanded across the board.
We want to significantly advance the topic of hydrogen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Hydrogen electrolysis must take place in the vicinity of energy generation, but also there, where the heat generated can be utilised. We need networked thinking, for example. a hydrogen harbour in Rostock, which supplies the electricity from a hydrogen test field off Warnemünde utilises and becomes home to industries that require heat for their processes.
Europe
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also owes its positive development since German reunification to the European Union and its stability, the common market and the European structural funds. Projects in the fields of education, business, tourism, infrastructure, social affairs, the environment and nature conservation have been supported in our state with the help of funding totalling many billions of euros. Our regional economy is closely networked in the Baltic Sea region. Many of our companies and jobs benefit from the European Economic Area.
[...] The direct impact of European Union decisions on life and the economy in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also necessitates even greater involvement in Brussels. We will therefore initiate our own political initiatives at European level and bundle the responsibilities and competences that have so far been distributed among the ministries. Europe must and will move to the centre of the political field of vision with us. A partnership that goes beyond trade connects us with all countries in the European Baltic Sea region, but especially with our direct neighbour Poland.
[...] However, our Europe is bigger than our immediate neighbourhood and the European Union. We continue to focus on dialogue with the Russian state and cooperation with Russian civil society and business. For us, this also includes energy and climate protection partnership. In our view, this requires that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has been authorised under the rule of law, is not allowed to become a pawn of geopolitical interests. We consider alternatives such as the planned gas terminal for American fracked gas in Brunsbüttel, as advocated by political competitors, to be significantly worse in terms of climate policy. In future, the European gas pipeline network will be indispensable for transporting hydrogen produced from renewable sources. Countries such as Russia with huge areas and potential for renewable energies will contribute to Europe's energy supply.
From the CDU's state election programme for MV 2021
Broaden the scope of foreign trade!
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is currently too one-sidedly focussed on Russia. As Russia has been losing importance as a sales market for products from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for years, the state needs a foreign trade strategy that focusses more on growth markets, especially those that are in the EU and therefore in a community of values and law. Poland and the Scandinavian countries in particular, but also all other countries bordering the Baltic Sea, are important trading partners.
The Bundeswehr is part of our country
Its soldiers and civilian employees clearly belong to our state. We are emphatically committed to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a Bundeswehr location! Every single base is an indispensable part of our towns and communities. The soldiers perform an important, physically and mentally demanding service for our state! In addition to military operations, the Bundeswehr is an efficient, reliable partner when it comes to dealing with major emergencies. The Bundeswehr must remain part of our society; public pledges are an element of this self-image.
Fishing is a tradition
Hardly anything emphasises the tension between humans, the environment, climate and species conservation as clearly as fishing. The romantic image of the fisherman on his boat has been overtaken by the harsh reality. Our remaining Baltic Sea fishermen, as well as inland and coastal fishermen, need alternative sources of income. Traditional shipping as a maritime heritage must not be lost. We owe it to our fishermen and women to stand by their side.
Shipyards are an industrial tradition
They form our industrial centres, and at the same time they are employers of well-paid, highly qualified workers. There are therefore no nostalgic reasons for preserving the shipyards: The shipyards and their suppliers are the last remaining link in a value chain that is of great economic importance to our country.
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