July 18, 2007 (LPAC)--In a joint statement issued by all 14 chambers of industry and commerce in northern Germany yesterday, the neglect of the importance of almost a million industrial jobs in that region by the politicians was criticized. Presenting the statement, which focuses on delayed highway, railway, port and canal projects, Hans Peter Kolzen of the State Chamber of Industry and Commerce said: "All too often, politicians nourish visions of a post-industrial service sector society... In reality, the industry in northern Germany is one of the pillars of Germany's role as a base of production and exports. As before, industry is the engine of the economy. A large share of services has been outsourced from the industry, actually, and firms depend on industrial contracts. The industry is the backbone of the economy."

Called by this news service this morning, a spokesman for the chamber in Hamburg, when briefed on the recent Danish bridge/maglev debates, reference to which unfortunately was omitted from the aforesaid joint statement, said that the discussion about a maglev running from Copenhagen to Hamburg was very important, because it "would open up discussion about a route from Hamburg to Hanover, and, naturally, from Hamburg to Berlin." He added that a maglev system would be much easier to realize for the Fehmarn and other bridges, implying that the costs of these projects could even be kept lower than if traditional railway systems were used.

The chamber spokesman showed interest in the upcoming Schiller Institute conference on Eurasia, pointing to the role that Hamburg, Germany's biggest sea port, could play in that as a key trans-shipment site for containers.