SPITZKE and Railway Infrastructure – An Exchange with Politicians
SPITZKE recently had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Christian Ehler and Danny Eichelbaum, both CDU representatives of state and European politics, to Großbeeren. This marked Dr. Christian Ehler’s first visit to the railway infrastructure specialist headquartered in GVZ Berlin South. In February, Danny Eichelbaum, a member of the Brandenburg State Parliament, had accompanied Brandenburg’s Minister for Infrastructure and State Planning, Guido Beermann, during a previous appointment at SPITZKE.
The discussions centered not only on fundamental issues but also on the European perspective concerning the short and medium-term future of railway infrastructure, with an increasing focus on Eastern European member countries within the European Union.
“We recently visited SPITZKE SE, one of the prominent champions in the state of Brandenburg, specializing in track technology and large-scale engineering projects in Germany. They also have a strong market presence in various European countries,” said Dr. Ehler. He added, “Over the past five years, the primary focus in Germany and Europe has been on expanding energy infrastructure. However, at the beginning of 2023, the EU Commission announced ten major pilot projects for the development and integration of European rail transport infrastructure. This sets a new priority for the upcoming legislative period. Specifically, with a view to upgrading existing rail routes and the need to shift more traffic from road to rail in light of CO2 reduction goals. Two of today’s discussion points were the accessibility and conditions for German companies in European member state markets. This included topics related to compliance, tendering processes, and the necessity of promoting an open rail transportation and infrastructure market in Europe.”
In addition, the issue relating to the acquisition of skilled workers and the associated crucial role of a welcoming culture which is attractive to foreign workers as well as the integration capacity of the German labor market were also discussed.
