May 2nd 2023
The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link will give a significant boost to business development on both the Danish and German sides.
Existing companies will gain easier access to new markets, and at the same time, interest in the area will increase among international investors.
This is according to an analysis of potentials and barriers regarding investment in the Fehmarnbelt Region, that Femern Belt Development has carried out in collaboration with a number of Danish and German partners.
"The opportunities are clearly there, but the development will not happen by itself. It is therefore important that Danish-German cooperation across the Fehmarn Belt increases and that marketing of the Fehmarnbelt region intensifies. It is crucial that we tell the outside world that the region is an attractive place in Europe with clean air, healthy food, good educational institutions and an attractive labour market," says Stig Rømer Winther, CEO of Femern Belt Development.
Opportunities for existing companies
The Danish-German analysis of the opportunities in the Fehmarnbelt Region shows that the fixed link will be an advantage for existing companies in the area.
"Those sales companies in the region wishing to export to Germany will have the opportunity to optimise their logistics chains. However, this requires that the companies prepare already now in terms of language skills, cultural understanding and legislation, as the expected benefits will not come from the link alone," the analysis reports.
Attracting international investors
"Our analysis also shows that with the establishment of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, there will be a significant interest in locating from Køge down through Ringsted and Næstved and towards Fehmarn, because the companies' radius of operations and sales will be larger. The expected attraction of German and international investors is favoured by the fact that there is easy access to attractive business areas on Southern Zealand and Lolland-Falster," says Stig Rømer Winther.
The analysis indicates that there are good opportunities to attract international investors to the Danish side of the Fehmarn Belt within the following industries:
- Life science
- Logistics and transport
- The green industry
- Tourism
"It is therefore important that we strengthen Danish-German cooperation on establishing a joint strategy for marketing the region internationally under a common brand," says Stig Rømer Winther.
As part of the marketing of the Fehmarnbelt Region, Femern Belt Development, together with its Danish and German partners, will be represented at the international investor fair EXPO REAL in Munich on 4-6 October 2023.
Facts
Collaboration on analyses and marketing
Behind the Danish-German initiative to market the Fehmarnbelt Region are, on the Danish side, Business Hub Zealand, Femern Belt Development and Business Lolland-Falster and, on the German side, the business development companies Entwicklungsgesellschaft Ostholstein mbH (EGOH), Wirtschaftförderung Lübeck GmbH, Wirtschafts- und Aufbaugesellschaft Stormarn mbH, Wirtschaftsgesellschaft Lauenburg and Wirtschaftsentwicklung für den Kreis Segeberg - WKS mbH.
The initiative is part of the Danish Fehmarn Lighthouse project. The Business Lighthouse for sustainable construction and business development based on the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link is one of eight Business Lighthouses initiated by the Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs and the Danish Business Promotion Agency to develop new positions of strength and is financed by REACT-EU funds.