Programme of the CDU Elbe-Weser 2021-2026 In the midst of our society
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Programme of the
CDU Elbe-Weser
2021-2026
In the midst of our societyIn the midst of our society - Programme of the CDU Elbe- Weser 2021-2026 Dear readers, For thirty years, the CDU has renewed the "Elbe-Weser Programme" every five years. During this time, the members of the CDU have always held political responsibility in Europe, at the federal, state and local levels. The Elbe-Weser triangle has developed into an economically prosperous region. Together we will therefore also overcome the challenges of the coming years. The combination of tradition and modernity will help us to do so. The CDU sees itself at the centre of society in our rural home. We first ask about people's concerns and then give our answers. With this programme, we emphasize which values and goals we stand for and how we differ from left wing and right wing competitors. With this programme, we would like to offer you a clear and reliable perspective for the coming years. In particular, dealing with the consequences of the Corona pandemic will be an enormous challenge for us in the years to come. Our sympathy goes out to the victims of the pandemic and their families. In the future, we will also pay special attention to those who have experienced economic and social difficulties as a result of the pandemic itself or by the restrictive measures taken to combat the pandemic. That is why we think it is wrong to make expensive promises. It is more important for us to use the narrow financial leeway to open up fair prospects for the economically disadvantaged. By way of example, we are thinking of small and medium-sized retail and catering businesses, but also of workers who have lost their jobs and of industries whose jobs are at risk. The CDU Elbe-Weser views itself as the Elbe-Weser Party and will continue to stand up powerfully and reliably for the interests and people of our region in the years to come. We wish you an enjoyable and informative reading! Enak Ferlemann, District Chairman Axel Lohse, Programme Commission
I. Assessment and outlook for five years What is expected from us! The CDU Elbe-Weser - in the midst of our society! The Christian Democratic Union Elbe-Weser is the people's party of the centre with the objective of representing the interests of the people of our predominantly rural region. We see "centre" not only as our location in the political spectrum, but also as our location in society. The people in our home country expect politics to be reliable, sustainable, value - oriented, geared to the common good and pursuing long-term goals. We see this expectation as the guiding principle of our political action. The great majority of the working population expects secure jobs, an income that is sufficient for subsistence, securing the future and certain amenities of life. This is not only about fair wages and salaries, but also about fair and adequate taxes and social contributions. A small gap between the incomes of working people and those of people receiving social benefits is being perceived as unfair. Entrepreneurs, self-employed and farmers want to be able to decide freely on their economic and entrepreneurial goals and expect the government and society to provide reliable framework conditions, affordable taxes and levies, a limitation of state intervention to the maximum extent necessary and social appreciation of their activities. Taxpayers are willing to act in solidarity if they can be sure that the state will handle their money carefully and pay attention to sustainable public finances and manageable administrative costs. As road users, we want to see an infrastructure consisting of safe and fast transport routes and connections. Parents want the independent upbringing of their children and their education to remain feasible and affordable and not to lead to disadvantages in their professional lives. The young generation is concerned about future opportunities in education and work in a sustainable environment that is worth living in. The elder generation wants to leave precisely this liveable environment to future generations and also wants secure pensions that fairly reflect their own life achievements.
Christians and other religious people are concerned with the preservation of creation
as well as society's respect for traditions, customs and traditions that have shaped our
culture over centuries.
Individual money savers expect that the currency will remain inflation-proof and that
a fair return will not be avoided or taxed away by the state or the central bank.
Public servants see themselves as service providers for their fellow citizens and
would like to see less regulation. Moreover, members of the educational professions
and the security forces expect more respect from society for their difficult tasks.
People with disabilities and sick people expect the solidarity of society to be able
to live a life without existential fear. Safe and affordable health care for all is seen as
an important prerequisite for a dignified life.
What characterises us? What makes us different?
In an increasingly colourful political and social spectrum, we want to position ourselves
clearly as a people's party and make it clear what distinguishes us from our right-wing
and left-wing competitors:
1. We stand for the open and liberal society that was developed in the Federal
Republic of Germany after the Second World War. We stand firmly and
unreservedly on the foundation of the Basic Law and representative
democracy. We stand by our historical responsibility from two dictatorships on
German soil. We reject all totalitarian state views and systems. For us, respect
for human rights and freedoms is an important prerequisite for good
international relations. We strictly reject violence as a means to achieve political
goals or for whatever reason. In our view, there must be a balance between
citizens and the state. We see the state as a means to an end. It may only
intervene in the rights of the individual if the rights of others are otherwise
violated or if higher interests require it. In this case, the elected or appointed
representatives of the state must be accountable for their actions. We alsoexpect unrestricted acceptance of the free legal and social order from the people who have immigrated to our country. 2. In our view, Germany is part of the Western community and shares Western values. This also includes the transatlantic community and membership in NATO as the unchanged foundation of our external security. We stand by our alliance commitments and see a modern and well equipped Bundeswehr as a parliamentary army, aligned with the principles of our basic democratic order, as an essential German contribution to securing peace. 3. For us, a united Europe is more than an economic and monetary union. The experience of two world wars, but also more than a thousand years of common history, have taught us that only European integration will lead to a lasting peaceful future. As German Europeans, we stand for our German interests when there are different interests in the European Union - just as every other European state does. The integration of Europe requires a fair distribution of burdens. We Germans are ready for this and expect the same willingness from all European partners. We see the protection of the external borders and the orderly management of immigration as a common European task. We would like to see the EU's bureaucracy and administration structured clearly and transparently in order to increase the acceptance of the EU by its citizens. 4. The social market economy is the most successful economic order of all time and has led to great prosperity in our country. The combination of free entrepreneurial activity of the individual under fair market conditions and with the consideration of social responsibility follows our fundamental Christian conviction. As an export nation, we stand for free trade in the world. Protectionism endangers our prosperity. 5. As Christian Democrats, we see the preservation and development of the creation as a major task for the future of politics. We stand for a balance between ecological necessities and economic goals.
6. Our Christian view of humanity means that we always see the other person
as our neighbour first. We reject discrimination against other people for
whatever reason, not least because of our historical responsibility.
7. Since its foundation, our party has stood for subsidiarity. At present, we see
increasing political tendencies to overemphasise the interests of metropolitan
structures. We stand for the fact that in rural areas independent decisions about
their own development remain possible and are oriented towards the goals and
values of the people in the affected areas. We stand for the coexistence of
urban and rural areas, characterised by equality and mutual respect.
Where we live!
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany in the region between the Elbe, Weser
and Aller sees itself as a people's party which - based on a fundamental Christian
understanding - unites christian-social, liberal and conservative perspectives, but at
the same time pays particular attention to the specific cultural conditions and
traditions of our home region and develops these further within the framework of a
modern structural policy.
The connection of the grown identity of our region with the demands of a globalised
world is the main concern of our politics. That is why our party, as the Elbe-Weser
Party, wants to represent the interests of our citizens with one voice. With this
orientation, we have achieved many successes in the last quarter of a century.
While the area between the Elbe and the Weser was one of the structurally weaker
regions in Lower Saxony and Germany in the decades after the war, it has experienced
a dynamic upward trend in terms of economic development over the last three
decades. We have repeatedly pushed this development by representing our concerns
in Brussels, Berlin and Hanover with vigour and a sense of proportion. In doing so, we
have clearly set ourselves apart from political competitors who wanted to keep our
region's infrastructure at the level of the 1970s and have opposed every further
industrial and commercial settlement and every necessary infrastructure measure. For
us, one thing was and is certain: to create productive and sustainable jobs is theessential prerequisite for the development of wealth and prosperity. We are committed to an active infrastructure policy as a precondition for any positive economic development. Now, our concern is to secure and further develop what we have achieved - despite a difficult political environment and major global and national challenges, especially with regard to the consequences of the pandemic. The claim by individual competitors that preserving the status quo is sufficient to secure prosperity fails to recognise that there will be no standstill in a globalised and increasingly digitalised world. Further active engagement is therefore needed in order not to fall behind the development of the metropolitan areas and other prospering regions. Together with the representatives and elected officials of our party in the municipalities, at the federal and state level and in the European Parliament, we will do everything we can to ensure that the Elbe-Weser region retains its importance and continues to move forward. Where we want to go! Understanding between town and country! Our outlook for 2026 - more Elbe-Weser in Lower Saxony after the local elections In the coming years, the success of our region will depend even more than before on coherent cooperation between all levels - from the municipalities to the state and from the federal government to Europe. The complexity of the problems, easily recognisable in the global crises of 2008/09 (financial and economic crisis), 2015/16 (refugee crisis) and 2020/21 (Corona pandemic), demands close coordination and a strong German presence at international level. The CDU-led Federal Government under Chancellor Angela Merkel has been very assertive and reached a consensus for even unpopular decisions and assumed Germany's responsibility in Europe and the world. The economic development of our country shows that Germany - until the beginning of the pandemic - continued to be on a good path through healthy economic growth, orderly finances and a stable labour market. It has proven to be right - against all odds in Germany and Europe - that a financial policy geared towards avoiding new debt has created room for manoeuvre in order to be able to cope with these crises financially.
Against the background of these new challenges, it is of great importance to use the
elections to the parliaments to clearly determine where we stand. The local
representatives in the districts, cities and municipalities deserve and need responsible
and willing elected representatives who face the structural challenges for rural areas
and counter the effects of global crises, which are being felt here more than ever. The
CDU candidates in the Elbe-Weser region stand for this goal to make reasonable
decisions on the local level.
II. Modern infrastructure - the basis for a successful economic policy
Our focus has always been a regulatory concept that connects our region with its
peripheral location with the major central and northern European economic centres.
Only a modern infrastructure can generate economic growth, increase the
competitiveness of our region and make better use of its natural resources. Given the
right policies, this region has excellent global and regional connections to Scandinavia,
the Benelux countries, the British Isles, Eastern Europe and overseas. The Elbe and
Weser transport routes offer ideal shipping opportunities to the heart of Germany -
especially to the new federal states, the industrial centres on the Mittelland Canal and
the Rhine.
Globalisation has led to a drastic increase in the international flow of goods and will
continue to do so. Container shipping in particular has increased significantly. This
trend will continue. The connection of the hinterland to the ports remains the
central task of infrastructure policy. It is important to take advantage of the associated
opportunities - economic development and jobs in the region - and to develop the
infrastructure in such a way that road, rail and sea transport do not collapse, but rather
- coordinated with each other - are developed rapidly.
To further strengthen our infrastructure, we now consider it necessary to rapidly
implement and develop the following additional projects:
1) Road traffic
• Planning and construction of the A 20 coastal motorway from Westerstede via
the already completed Weser tunnel near Dedesdorf and Bremervörde to theplanned Elbe crossing near Drochtersen, where it connects to the A 26
motorway.
• Rapid progress and completion of the construction of the A 26 motorway from
Hamburg via Stade to Drochtersen and short-term completion of the sections
from Jork to Neu Wulmstorf and on to Hamburg; further planning and
construction from the A 7 to the A 1 near Stillhorn.
• As part of the A 20, construction of the tunnel to cross the Elbe at Drochtersen
• Earlier construction of the Bremervörde section brought forward so that the
construction works can start as soon as possible
• Further construction of the A 281 including another Weser tunnel to connect
Bremen Airport and Bremen's industrial areas
• Construction of various bypasses in the course of the federal roads 71, 73, 74
and 3 (in particular Ritterhude, Cadenberge, Zeven and Ketzendorf)
• New construction or rehabilitation of numerous road bridges
2) Rail transport
• Exploit the possibilities of cooperation between Deutsche Bahn AG and non-
federally owned railway companies with the aim of increasing the attractiveness
of local rail passenger transport and achieving efficient freight transport
infrastructure
• Expansion of the Bremerhaven-Bremen-Hanover rail link and extension/new
construction of additional tracks on the Hanover rail line between Harburg and
Uelzen as well as double-track expansion of the Uelzen-Stendal line to better
relieve the port hinterland
• Expansion of the Hamburg, Hamburg-Harburg and Bremen railway hubs
• Double-track extension of the Rotenburg-Verden railway line, including the
Rotenburg curve of the EVB
• Expansion of capacities on the Bremen-Wunstorf line
• Double-track extension of the Nienburg-Minden railway line
• Following a transparent planning procedure, construction of the so-called Alpha
E Variant Plus in the medium term to relieve and improve the port hinterland
connections with the expansion of the Bremen-Soltau America line.
• Connection of the Stade-Bützfleth seaport to a new industrial track• Electrification of the railway lines Stade-Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven as
well as the EVB line Bremerhaven-Rotenburg as an essential competitive factor
for our ports and the industry located there.
• Reactivation of dead railway lines where it makes economic and transport
policy sense.
• Reactivation of the Moorexpress from Stade via Bremervörde and Osterholz to
Bremen and introduction of a regular timetable
• Further improvement of local public transport between the centres of the two
metropolitan regions Hamburg and Northwest (formerly metropolitan region
Bremen/Oldenburg) and the respective surrounding area
3) Ports and shipping
• Expansion of port handling capacities in Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven and Stade
and examination of further expansion possibilities for the ports as offshore base
ports, multifunctional ports and multi-purpose handling ports. The new location
of the Siemens Gamesa Group in Cuxhaven is proof of a successful structural
policy.
• In principle, we support the deepening of the Outer Weser for economic
reasons. However, we will only consider it if the indispensable requirements of
dyke safety and ecology are taken into account and if an agreement is reached
between the federal and state governments on the concerns of water
management and national culture.
• We strictly reject the further deepening of the Lower Elbe.
• Expansion of the Kiel Canal
• Expansion of the Middle Weser for large motor cargo ships and two-lane traffic
• Expansion of the Stade-Bützfleth seaport and construction of a terminal for
liquid energy sources. In doing so, we are creating the basis for sustainable
energy partnerships to achieve climate goals. The liquefied gas infrastructure
of tomorrow is the terminal infrastructure for regenerative gases of the day after
tomorrow. By importing renewable energy sources, we secure cheap resources
for the future and at the same time make our contribution to stabilisation in the
world. The new RED II, which provides for the gradual substitution of renewable
energy sources, means that the planned Stade terminal offers a win-win
situation for all parties involved, in addition to a rapid CO2 reduction. We aretherefore in favour of the north harbour expansion with direct rail and
motorway access to the terminal.
• Comprehensive bus routes that are adapted to the rail timetable as a feeder
and guarantee for increasing passenger numbers
4) Air traffic
• Expansion of regional airfields, to the extent that makes economically sense
and does not impair the overall concept for northern German air traffic
• Creation of planning security for existing airfields. The designation of residential
areas in the vicinity of the airfields should be avoided in order to prevent
conflicts. Regional transport policy should be bundled in an overall concept and
enable connections to the major centres. In this context, cooperation with the
city states of Hamburg and Bremen is of particular importance.
III. An innovative economy creates and secures jobs!
Good and future-oriented connections to supra-regional transport networks are
indispensable to compensate for existing locational disadvantages in rural areas.
Those who want to keep the Elbe-Weser region attractive as a liveable home must
promote the regional economy. After all, it is the local economy, which is strongly
characterised by small and medium-sized enterprises, that successfully create and
secure jobs and training places in the region!
In the Elbe-Weser region, too, seven development strands are primarily foreseeable
with regard to the development perspectives of the locations:
1. Depending on geographical, geological, historical, demographic, traffic and
industry-specific influences, there is enormous growth potential and
opportunities for interesting new companies to settle here in many places.
With our policy, we want to actively contribute to further strengthening this
potential (e.g. with the CFK-Valley in Stade, the further expansion of renewable
energies, the creation of further logistics capacities, with the animal breeding
and marketing centres in Verden and Bremervörde, the biotechnology
Cuxhaven as well as the further expansion of North Sea tourism in the districtof Cuxhaven). The geographical location of the Elbe-Weser region with its proximity to the coast, but especially to the ports that are important for Northern Germany, has made our region particularly attractive for the offshore wind energy industry. Lower Saxony in general and the Elbe-Weser region in particular are "energy land", not only for conventional but equally for renewable energy production. However, the establishment of the Siemens Gamesa plant in Cuxhaven must be just one of many further steps on the way to establishing this industry in our region. 2. In addition, for many municipalities, especially for locations without a direct connection to supra-regional transport axes, economic prosperity must be predominantly supported by the development of existing medium-size d structures. With our policy, we want to actively contribute to maintaining the diversity of small and medium-sized businesses and thus the diversity of jobs in the region. 3. A shortage of skilled workers is a reality in many places. Although positive framework conditions can be created for companies, only motivated and highly qualified workers fill it with life and ultimately lead it to the desired economic success. Training and retaining workers in the Elbe-Weser region is therefore an important challenge for the economic development of the region. Much more than in the past, questions will also be asked about the compatibility of family and career. Employees of a company must be able to combine life and work without neglecting children and family unduly. 4. With good internet connections, locations in rural areas can also generate additional settlement potential in future in location-flexible sectors. 5. The focus here is not only on innovations in the high-tech sector, but also on low-threshold innovations with direct application relevance. Of particular importance here are those innovation potentials that are not occupied by individual actors, but rather are found in a critical mass of companies and research institutions. Only in this case network structures can develop along a value chain whose perception extends far beyond the region. This is ideally
the case in the field of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) in the example of the "CFRP Valley" in Stade: starting from the research activities of the aircraft manufacturing industry in Stade, a technology centre, a service centre, a training centre, a university of applied sciences and a research centre have gradually settled around the material CFRP. After an initial focus on aircraft construction, the application focus has now expanded to include the whole range of the mobility industry (cars, lorries, shipping, etc.) and also, for example, the promising field of wind energy. 6. Within the framework of a balanced energy mix, we are committed to emphatically supporting technology development in renewable energy generation in particular, such as wind energy or the improvement and new ways of storage technology. In doing so, we are aware that an expansion of renewable energy production is very costly and space-consuming. Since renewable forms of energy do not produce energy everywhere, where they are consumed, we need an extensive redistribution network to be able to supply our country. It must be explained to the citizens in the Elbe-Weser region in a comprehensible way that considerable sums of investment will have to be made available for this and that rural areas will change. The topic area of "energy" also includes the promotion and development of modern forms of propulsion. This applies both to the large-scale transport of goods and to individual transport. Subsidies under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) should be co- financed by other sectors. Finally, electricity must remain affordable for all users. In addition to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions in transport, the electric vehicle with battery storage also offers great potential for energy savings due to its high efficiency. The expansion of the charging infrastructure must keep pace with the rapidly increasing number of registrations. The following applies: parking time is charging time. In addition to the further expansion of charging stations in multi-storey car parks, but also in front of shopping centres or in
company car parks, there is a particular need for fast charging stations with
150 kW and more of charging power along our national roads.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the long-distance runners among electric
vehicles. They score with short refuelling times and a longer range. We
encourage larger companies and car rental companies to conduct field tests
with hydrogen vehicles in their fleets. This is because their vehicle fleets usually
have a high proportion of long-distance journeys.
New challenges also arise for the operation of ships that may no longer be
operated with conventional heavy fuel oil in the so-called SECA zone in the
North Sea and Baltic Sea. Ships sailing in these waters are therefore now
operated with LNG engines, among other things. Thus, import terminals are
urgently needed as landing structures for LNG and LPG as affordable low-CO2
energy sources. For the landing and distribution of renewable fuels, ports can
simultaneously be used as hubs and distribution networks that are partly
already in place today. The LNG liquid gas infrastructure of tomorrow is the e-
fuel infrastructure of the day after tomorrow. From marine diesel to LNG and
methanol to green fuels, our ports must be expanded step by step with regard
to future CO2-neutral propulsion technologies. That is why we see LNG
infrastructure as an investment for the future. Converting ports so that they can
refuel ships with LNG propulsion offers a great opportunity to make them even
more attractive as ports of call.
7. The Elbe-Weser region is becoming a pioneer in the increased use of hydrogen
from renewable energies. As one of the successful regions in the competition
"Hy-Land - Hydrogen Regions in Germany" of the Federal Ministry of Transport
and Digital Infrastructure, the great potential for a hydrogen economy is
honoured. The Elbe-Weser region offers great potential for the production of
"green" hydrogen due to its location, its special geological features, here
especially the caverns for the storage of hydrogen and green energy sources,
its already established industrial companies, the possibility of storing gases in
caverns and its numerous wind power plants. In addition to favourable import
opportunities for low-CO2 resources, the LNG terminal offers a future clusterfor the settlement of new companies in the Elbe-Weser region. In Bremervörde,
Osterholz-Scharmbeck and Stade, promising hydrogen industry projects have
already been launched (such as the production, storage, infrastructure,
transport, distribution and use of hydrogen). We are doing our utmost to seize
the opportunities for a rapid diffusion of hydrogen for all areas of life, especially
for all forms of mobility, industry and heating of buildings. It is no coincidence
that the world's first hydrogen-powered train is being used here in the Elbe-
Weser region and that the first road sweepers and refuse collection vehicles
powered by hydrogen fuel cells are rolling off the production line in Osterholz.
We want to push this development further.
Active economic and structural policy requires reliable framework conditions
everywhere. We therefore advocate that
• approval procedures for business location projects and start-ups are fast and
unbureaucratic, - attractive and demand-oriented areas for business locations
continue to be made available in all districts of the Elbe-Weser region.
• public administrations function efficiently and close to the citizens and do not
hinder investment projects but promote them,
• supply and disposal structures are aligned in such a way that the fee
requirement can be kept as low as possible,
• an active economic development policy is pursued. This requires that the
region as a whole be promoted beyond our area. The districts are called upon
to further develop corresponding concepts.
• cross-border initiatives, e.g. the metropolitan regions of Hamburg and
Northwest (formerly Bremen/Oldenburg), the Süderelbe growth initiative with
the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg or the Bremen-Niedersachsen
association of municipalities, should be strengthened. It must be taken care to
ensure that the give and take of the metropolis and surrounding municipalitiesis permanently in proportion and that the benefits sustainably exceed the costs
of these initiatives.
• (Private-Public-Partnership=) PPP projects (such as the construction of the
new prison in Bremervörde and various new school buildings in the past) can
be realised as examples of long-term cooperation between the public and
private sectors in suitable infrastructure and building construction projects,
• in municipalities with abandoned Bundeswehr sites, the federal and state
governments should in future contribute to the special conversion burdens
financially and in a structurally supportive manner,
• in order to consolidate public budgets, unnecessary prestige projects should
be avoided and own contributions and follow-up costs should be taken into
account more strongly than before when subsidies are called up,
• despite the great importance of secure funding for districts and municipalities,
the tax burden on companies does not lead to a weakening of
competitiveness,
• we need to further strengthen the universities in the Elbe-Weser region and
promote the establishment of new fields of study, such as engineering
professions,
• company kindergartens and childcare in the afternoon hours are promoted in
such a way that parents' professional activities are not unduly restricted and
care times in private and municipal kindergartens are made more flexible to
enable care during different working hours.IV. Digitisation - already the engine of a modern society today Alongside globalisation and climate change, digitisation is the driving force for worldwide change. People's everyday lives, whether at work or in communication, have changed. Companies are dependent on innovations and the increasing digitalisation of their processes in order to compete. We embrace this change and want to use its opportunities to make life even better in our region as well. While the expansion of the internet was long seen only as a factor for the regional economy or as an advantage in the designation of settlement areas for primarily young families, the digitisation of our lives is now one of the most important social challenges facing politics. In our information society, a modern infrastructure policy in the Elbe-Weser region necessarily includes the nationwide provision of an IT infrastructure: fast internet and mobile communication should be available nationwide. Lower Saxony has set out to equip schools, universities, industrial sites and ports with fast and reliable fibre- optic internet by 2021. It is important that in the medium term the rest of the land is also provided with equal coverage in order to guarantee equivalent living and working conditions for all regions. In concrete terms, this means that not only the urban centres in the Elbe-Weser region or the surrounding areas of the metropolises of Hamburg and Bremen are connected to fibre-optic networks, but that our rural regions also have access to fast internet. Together with the state and federal government, districts and municipalities are making considerable efforts to expand broadband and mobile networks. It is clear to us that only fibre-optic expansion with gigabit-capable addresses has a future. We therefore support the federal government's goal of finally abolishing the threshold for funding of addresses that are not self-sustaining and hope for a notification of new funding programmes by the European Commission. We are explicity in favour of regional initiatives, for example by municipal utilities or other regional providers who invest in their own fibre-optic networks and offer
communication services alongside their core business. We call for these regional initiatives to be able to receive funding from the federal and state governments to the same extent as the large telecommunications providers, in order to support local expansion. As a basis for this, municipalities and regional providers need reliable information about already existing empty pipes. It is no longer acceptable that this information cannot be combined because different software is used to collect it. We therefore call on municipalities and districts to create a joint empty pipe register. In the field of mobile reception, we are developing the 5G application and are already preparing for the application of 6G. Unfortunately, there are still many white spots in rural areas - especially between villages - that do not even have 2G (voice telephony) or 4G (LTE, mobile internet). Here, we would like to further accelerate the development. In cooperation with the telecommunications companies, we will reliably survey and update the status of mobile phone coverage. We will support the companies' expansion efforts by actively searching for locations in the municipalities and accelerating the approval procedures in the district offices. Where the erection of radio masts is necessary but cannot be done economically, our party will use state and federal subsidy programmes to subsidise them. In particular, we are counting on the new federal mobile communications company and would like to support the Broadband Centre of Lower Saxony-Bremen, based in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, as the central service provider in Lower Saxony. It remains the permanent task of the federal, state and local governments to negotiate concrete expansion plans with the major providers and to ensure the nationwide provision of 5G mobile networks in addition to fibre optics. Consistent network expansion is the basis for all initiatives to digitise the Elbe-Weser region. However, it is not limited to this, but affects almost all areas of life. The state of Lower Saxony has made the education sector in particular one of the central locations for digitisation projects. The Corona crisis in particular has made it clear how important it is to have sustainable concepts for e-learning and to equip pupils adequately with digital teaching aids. Therefore, we welcome the fact that more and more pupils are being equipped with tablets and digital forms of teaching are being
applied. However, it is also important that the state fulfils its obligation and adapts the core curricula to these new circumstances. The development of IT skills and awareness of the opportunities and risks of digitisation must take place more quickly than before. However, it is also important that new media are competently looked after and maintained. We therefore call on the school authorities in the Elbe-Weser region to employ so-called digital pilots for their schools who will take care of the smooth operation of the media and devices and who will be available to pupils and teachers as contact persons. Digitisation has a particular influence on the working world and the personal workplace. More and more companies are offering mobile work and even home office solutions for their employees. This means that rural areas in particular are moving closer to urban regions, where the majority of jobs are located. The compatibility of family and work has also become more important than ever in our region. We recognise this development and therefore call on the business community to examine further possibilities for mobile working. Digitisation is also bringing markets closer together. The internet makes it possible for even the smallest town to participate in the global market. Often it is young entrepreneurs who like to set up businesses from their home communities and thus combine life in the Elbe-Weser region with professional activities in international economic areas. We support this development, but also recognise the need to adapt the framework conditions for municipal economic development in our region. We call on the municipalities to set up support programmes for start-ups which, on the one hand, include the obligation to establish companies in the locality and to leave them there for a while, but which, on the other hand, also provide young founders with venture capital to make it easier for them to start their own business in the region. In addition to municipal funding, we also welcome forms of joint alternative funding for innovative, creative and social project projects. The best example of this is the "Ideenbeweger" project of the PFH Göttingen - Stade Campus as a crowdfunding platform for new ideas and innovations in the Elbe-Weser region. At the same time, we advocate a renaissance of business incubators, as so-called shared spaces. Young companies should be given a home in these well-equipped units. In cooperation with the business development agencies and the chambers of commerce, a central
advisory service can also be created here. A joint external appearance of the centres
promotes the opportunity that larger companies will find innovative know-how more
easily. The centres should not only be a roof over the heads of young entrepreneurs,
but also generate advice, networking and market opportunities. In this way, traditional
incubators become modern innovation hubs.
For the digitisation of our economy, it is important to strengthen the innovative capacity
of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These are traditionally at a
disadvantage compared to large companies, as they often do not have their own
research and development departments. Our party relies here on strengthening
technology transfer within the framework of ARTIE, the technology and innovation
network in the Lüneburg region. Through the Transfer Centre Elbe-Weser (TZEW),
commissioned by ARTIE and based in Stade, small and medium-sized enterprises are
brought together with research institutions and universities so that solutions to
technical problems can be found and know-how in the region can be expanded. The
CDU wants to facilitate digitisation in companies with active business promotion by the
districts, which bring federal and state funding programmes closer to the companies
on site and support them in the application process.
Digitisation must also be consistently promoted in the public sector. We are therefore
committed to
• the further development of e-government offerings in municipalities and
districts,
• E-government as a way for citizens to interact with public authorities. Longer
distances, restrictive working hours and complex procedures make visiting the
respective authority quite a problem. The possibility of submitting applications
online, participating in official processes via internet portals, for example, in the
form of public development plans, but also generally speeding up procedures,
offer advantages for public authorities and citizens alike,
• the creation of a joint IT service network that creates supra-regional platforms
and provides support for IT issues at municipalities, districts and authorities.
Municipalities can use synergies among themselves on the basis of digital
infrastructure and share expenses more than before. This would be possible,for example, through the creation of a joint IT association in which municipalities
would be given the opportunity to offer and use services among themselves,
• the expansion of fast internet connections with fibre optic cables as well as with
wireless connections, especially to connect more rural regions with fast internet.
V. Mobility in the Elbe-Weser region - open to technology and digital!
Reliable accessibility throughout the country is and remains the overriding principle of
our transport policy. Being mobile is an essential aspect of personal freedom - and
especially so in our rural region.
The future of mobility also depends to a large extent on the development of the modes
of transport. Against the background of climate change, there is a need for innovative
development.
We see great opportunities in autonomous driving, especially for public transport in
rural areas. That is why we want to create model cities for autonomous transport in
the Elbe-Weser region as soon as the 5G expansion is complete. Digitalisation makes
it possible to organise mobility and transport in a completely new way - individualised,
improved and climate-friendly. This offers opportunities for cities and rural areas alike.
The use of one's own car can be partially replaced by mobility chains that are
coordinated via apps. Rental bike, scooter and car-sharing providers as well as
innovative call-bus solutions such as MOIA, which are already common in large cities,
make it possible to organise individual mobility in line with actual needs.
We want to expand public transport as a basic service throughout the country, and
at least as a call-bus concept or a citizens' bus for less busy routes.
Due to the large area of the Elbe-Weser region and its strong interdependence with
the major centres, it is of paramount importance for us to orient mobility towards the
interests of the large commuter flows. Following the successful initial use of hydrogen
trains by the Elbe-Weser GmbH (EVB) railway and transport company, we intend touse hydrogen trains manufactured in Lower Saxony on other routes in future via the Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft (LNVG). Likewise, we aim to shift freight transport from road to rail where possible. The task is to organise all these new mobility components in public space. The federal, state and local governments are called upon to develop a coordinated concept for the organisation of existing and new mobility services that takes into account the interests of all road users. For the Elbe-Weser region as a rural area, the transport infrastructure is a particularly important factor. In the future, digital offers can be effective ways to better connect rural regions in particular. The ITS transport conference, the "showcase of mobility applications", which is taking place in Hamburg, represents a great opportunity here. Here, digital offers in both logistics and local passenger transport will be demonstrated to the public and their practicality presented. The CDU Elbe-Weser would like to see these offers not end with the conference, but continue to be tested in the region. In our view, it would be conceivable to set up a test route for autonomously operated public transport in the region. We therefore call on the state and the districts to take the results of the ITS conference to heart and test their transferability to the Elbe-Weser region. To promote cycling and micro-mobility, we want to advance the planning and construction of cycle lanes as part of sensible transport planning. They enable attractive, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly mobility for everyday traffic and require additional space in our cities for this purpose.
VI. Energy management - using the power of nature and storing clean energy A clean, reliable and affordable supply of energy is the basis of our prosperity. However, it is indispensable for maintaining and expanding industrial and commercial settlements. These are only possible where there is also a cheap and reliable energy supply. With the phase-out of nuclear energy by 2022 and of coal-fired power generation by 2038 at the latest, the Federal Republic of Germany will do without the two main pillars of its previous weather-independent base and medium load supply. The current decline in the realisation of new wind farms, but also increasing hurdles in the renewal of existing wind farms, are therefore highly detrimental to the future reliable energy supply of the industrial locations in the Elbe-Weser region. The future energy supply will no longer be provided at a few locations in large power plants, but will be highly decentralised and diversified. The success of the energy transition depends on three interrelated factors in addition to people's acceptance: 1. the expansion of all forms of renewable energy production, 2. a stable supply through a well-developed supply network and 3. the creation of storage capacities for surplus energy. In the coming years, subsidies under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) for wind power, photovoltaic and biogas plants of the first hour will gradually be phased out. We call for the repowering of wind turbines and will create the legal prerequisites for this in regional planning. We stand by the privileged status of onshore wind turbines, because it remains one of the cheapest ways to generate electricity. The goal is to reserve two percent of the area as priority land for wind turbines.
The sporadically existing solar land registers still show a high expansion potential for solar power systems, which we want to use with improved advice for municipalities, homeowners and tenants. Roofs of large warehouses and logistics halls offer ample space for solar power systems. We urge that these are not treated like large ground- mounted systems and have to compete with them in tenders. In order to compensate for the lack of electricity generation from photovoltaics in winter and/or when there is little sunshine, we want to promote combined heat and power plants (CHP) in larger single-family or multi-family homes and businesses and also expand them in public facilities. CHP units make very efficient use of fuel by simultaneously generating electricity and heat. The operation of CHPs is particularly suitable in rural areas, as valuable biogas can be obtained from by-products - such as liquid manure and dung. Therefore, smaller biogas plants should also be promoted in the future. The 40-45 % CO2 contained in raw biogas is ideally converted into synthetic natural gas together with hydrogen from surplus wind power. We advocated that the electricity from renewable energy plants used to produce green hydrogen be exempted from the EEG levy. Real laboratories for the economic production of synthetic natural gas will be supported by our party. The natural gas grid has the capacity to serve as a storage facility for synthetic natural gas from wind energy. If this is converted back into electricity in gas-fired power plants elsewhere, there is also the possibility of avoiding the construction of expensive and unpopular power lines across valuable farmland. Furthermore, electricity storage facilities are needed for buffering surplus electricity, but also as control energy for the primary and secondary reserve. The storage of hydrogen in the underground salt caverns on the Stade Geest, for example, represents a great opportunity. This can be used to buffer the electricity peaks of volatile renewable energies. Municipalities that hold stakes in coal-fired power plants should work towards converting them into CO2-neutral thermal storage power plants. In addition to the use of surplus wind power, the existing grid structure offers a significant advantage.
We will support the expansion of large-scale storage - for example from old batteries of electric cars or large redox flow batteries in old, no longer used oil storage facilities. Even in their first use, batteries from electric cars and smaller home electricity storage units can be harnessed as a sink and source of balancing energy. Owners can thus tap into additional income. For this to happen, however, thousands of home storage systems must be networked to form large-scale virtual storage systems. By reducing existing bureaucratic hurdles and promoting intervention-proof hardware and software for remote control, this potential should also be exploited. This also applies to the networking of mini and micro CHPs below the current 50 KW limit to form virtual power plants. Offshore electricity production in the North Sea will increase to 20 GW by 2030 and to 40 GW by 2040. The transport of this energy to the centres of consumption in southern Germany will affect the Elbe-Weser region through a large number of planned new transmission lines. In the interest of the people affected, we advocate state-of-the-art underground cabling, as developed by Stadtwerke Stade with the AGS method. Whether and when a successfully functioning hydrogen economy is established depends largely on supply and demand increasing to the same extent in order to create the will to invest on both sides - on the supplier side of hydrogen as well as on the consumer side. Municipalities and districts as well as municipal enterprises can make an important contribution here by investing in hydrogen-powered vehicles themselves and thus acting as buyers on the market. In particular, municipal building yards and waste disposal companies as well as local public transport providers c an play an important role here. It is also important not to approach the manufacturers of such vehicles with individual orders. We therefore call on the state of Lower Saxony to establish a joint municipal procurement alliance in order to jointly approach manufacturers and purchase a large number of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
VII. Sustainability and climate protection - big topics of our time For us, a social market economy also means giving equal weight to the concerns of ecology, environmental, nature and climate protection in political processes. The care of creation is of great importance to us. The mega-topic of this time is climate protection. Climate gases such as CO2 and methane cause a heat build-up and cause temperatures to rise. The emission of climate gases must be reduced, especially to prevent so-called tipping points from being crossed and thus to prevent the domino effects of global warming from accelerating further. Climate protection can only be achieved with and through technological progress and the art of engineering. Both are disproportionately available in the Elbe-Weser region with regard to the use of renewable energies. The achievement of greenhouse gas reduction targets can be combined in a very concrete way with sustainable value creation in rural areas. In addition to the expansion of wind power and solar energy, this includes the increased use of biogas through the production of pure biomethane for the energy and transport sectors. The use of currently often down-regulated amounts of electricity from renewable energies for the decentralised production of hydrogen and the biological methanisation of hydrogen offer a promising opportunity to establish storage technology for volatile renewable energies. The associated additional binding of CO2 also significantly improves the CO2 balances of biogas plants. We are committed to this further development of biogas technology with the perspective of preserving value creation in rural areas even after the expiry of subsidy periods under the Renewable Energy Sources Act. We recognise the important contribution that intact raised bogs and fens make to climate protection. However, moor protection includes the preservation of a living and sustainable homeland. That is why it is essential to involve the inhabitants of the moors and the farmers who work there in the moor protection strategy. As important water reservoirs, the peatlands prevent the flooding of the villages, so rewetting strategies alone are by no means enough - economic perspectives for the farming families and
the people in the peatland villages must also be shown. We are committed to sustainable and viable models for the future of the peatlands. For the issues of nature, species and water protection, the CDU Elbe-Weser welcomes the agreement on the "Lower Saxony Way" which has meanwhile been adopted in the Lower Saxony state parliament. For the diverse landscape in our Elbe- Weser region, ranging from the Wadden Sea to the marshes, the moors, the Geest and the heath, extensive nature conservation measures to preserve and maintain this structure are of great importance. We are convinced that this requires the joint efforts of all actors involved and thus in particular the involvement of landowners and managers. Only constructive cooperation between official nature conservation authorities, voluntary organisations, associations and users can achieve the desired results. This cooperation is the foundation of the agreements on the "Lower Saxony Way". Against this backdrop, we would like to encourage the working groups with practitioners from nature conservation and agriculture, especially at the district level, to accompany the further development. We see these activities as a great opportunity for improved cooperation between the various associations of agriculture, nature conservation and also other nature users such as hunters and anglers. The explicit appreciation of voluntary activities for species protection, such as the improvement and creation of near-natural waters, the planting of hedges and flower strips for native flora and fauna, the protection of native meadow birds and much more, is very close to our hearts. It has proven successful to establish nature conservation funds for concrete measures at the district level. Either the hunting tax should not be levied or the funds should be used for such tasks. In the future, too, protection behind the dykes on the coast and the Elbe must be permanently ensured. Dyke shepherds fulfil an important function in maintaining dykes. The increasing predation due to the unregulated spread of the wolf must be countered by effective measures, such as herd protection fences, a sufficient protection zone along the main dyke line, but also the banishment and, if necessary, hunting.
Groundwater and drinking water protection are high priorities for us. We welcome the consideration of emission values in addition to immission values of the monitoring network in the designation of nitrate-sensitive "red" areas by the state. In order to further improve water protection, we call for an expansion of the monitoring network with a regionalisation of the pollution areas. This will enable agriculture to react even more efficiently to the respective nitrate situation, also in cooperation with water suppliers. As an alternative to the current strategy of taking more and more land away from agriculture through compensation measures, we call for a guiding land strategy with the possibility of ecological upgrading of already existing compensation, forest and other land. VIII. Agriculture and food industry: for more cooperation! The food industry is a structural economic sector in the Elbe-Weser region. The production of healthy and safe food for consumers, taking into account the concerns of nature conservation and animal welfare, is the focus of the medium-sized agricultural sector in our region. The growing world population with steadily decreasing arable land continues to require increases in the efficiency of agriculture through the use of technological and breeding progress in the sense of resource- and climate-friendly production. The CDU is clearly committed to modern breeding methods such as the CRISPR/CAS gene scissors and to keeping science and industry in the state. Agriculture in the Elbe- Weser region has made considerable productivity gains in recent years and at the same time contributed to increasing food security. This is a small but important contribution of this region to the big issue of feeding the world's population. The Elbe-Weser region, with the large number of efficient family farm businesses located here, the professional competence and the high level of training of the farmers, as well as the established distribution structures, is one of the leading agricultural
regions in Europe. This applies equally to the dairy industry, the processing industry and arable farming, fruit growing on the Lower Elbe and also to the production of renewable energies. We will consistently support this development and continue to campaign for the acceptance of modern agricultural production methods within the framework of social discussion processes and advocate legislation that gives farms the necessary opportunities for survival and development. Conflicting laws and regulations and unmanageable sets of rules that make any further development of farms uneconomical must be put to the test. Against this background, in addition to all the other aspects mentioned, the following applies: Farmers must retain their passion for their work! For us, organic and conventional farming systems are on an equal footing; the best of both will be the benchmark for the future. With large investments in agricultural technology, crop production, animal husbandry and alternative energies, farming contributes strongly to the economic development of the upstream and downstream sectors and also to the credit services sector in the Elbe-Weser region. At the same time, agricultural production is brought into harmony with consumer and animal protection as well as nature conservation and environmental protection as hardly anywhere else in the world. The preservation of species-rich plant and animal populations is the goal of modern land management processes. Therefore, we fully support the "Lower Saxony Way" for more nature, species and water protection. This also includes targeted insect protection. This is the first step towards a social contract; increased expenditure by farmers must be appropriately rewarded and the "production good nature conservation" must be remunerated accordingly. The existing structures of the agricultural and food sector are based on a considerable depth of investment. Therefore, agricultural policy processes that further develop economic, ecological and social requirements in harmony with societal demands must always be reviewed for planning security and future-proof feasibility. It is imperative that the agricultural policy framework allows farming families to survive in the face of fierce global competition and to earn an adequate income. The Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has had an intensive impact on farming in the Elbe-Weser region. By using renewable raw materials, residues from animal
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