Politicians: Fehmarn Tunnel unaffected by EU budget

EU budget cuts likely to affect plans to improve internet connection in rural areas but it’s unsure whether the Fehmarn Tunnel will lose its funding

The ink may have only just dried on the EU’s next seven-year budget, but speculation has started over whether the deal will lead to projects in Denmark facing the axe.

One likely candidate to suffer is the plan to improve broadband infrastructure in rural Denmark after the budget allocation was gutted from around 70 billion kroner over the seven-year budget period to 7.5 billion kroner.

As a result, telecommunications companies will be stuck with a far greater portion of the bill to connect rural areas with faster internet speeds according to Jacob Willer, the managing director of the trade organisation Teleindustrien.

“We cannot take the responsibility alone,” Willer told the local government association, Kommunernes Landsforening, referring to the enormous task of improving internet speeds. “We are willing to take on some responsibility but it’s something that needs to be done together with politicians.”

The broadband investment was cut from the budget’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) which will fund investments in transport, energy and communications.

Cuts to the CEF may also affect the future of the 18-kilometre Fehmarn Tunnel to Germany after transport allocations were cut from 240 billion to 160 billion kroner.

Femern A/S, the company responsible for building the tunnel, has planned to finance ten percent of the construction costs – which will total at least 35 billion kroner – through EU funding. While a spokesperson from Femern A/S stated that they were still applying for the funding, he would not comment on how the new budget may affect it.

But given that the Fehmarn Tunnel is on a priority list for trans-European infrastructure projects, the so-called TEN-T, Danish politicians have expressed cautious optimism that the tunnel project will move ahead.

“Denmark has traditionally been quite good at getting ahold of tax money and I think the Fehmarn is a good project,” the EU spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne (S), Jens Joel, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “We don’t see the need for alarm.”

Their priority status means that TEN-T projects can also secure funding from additional sources, including the European Investment Bank and public-private partnerships.

“I don’t think the EU’s new budget will mean that we will receive less funding for Fehmarn,” Rasmus Prehn, S's traffic spokesperson, told Jyllands-Posten. “If there are fewer resources from the EU for infrastructure then there is a risk. It might prove an obstacle but it won’t prevent the connection from being built.”

Reacting to the EU budget cuts, industry lobby group Dansk Industri (DI) stated in a press release that it was dissatisfied that more money was not being set aside for research, innovation and infrastructure.

“If Denmark wants to join the rest of the world’s winning regions, we need to make more of an effort,” Karsten Dybvad, DI’s managing director, stated. “DI would have much rather seen leaders prioritise money for research and innovation, and particularly for new transport, energy and communication technology infrastructure. It would improve growth in Europe.”

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs