Two cities share their experiences

"Copenhagen and Hamburg have always looked longingly at one another," commented Hamburg mayor, Olaf Scholz, after a meeting with his colleague, Frank Jensen, in Copenhagen on 29 June 2011.

The large-scale meeting lasted for a couple of days, and both mayors were very eager when they met the media, signalling nothing less than the beginning of a new era in the collaboration between these two cities.

"Copenhagen and Hamburg can learn a lot from each another and I am especially looking forward to tapping into Hamburg's experience in energy conversions and urban development at the former port. It is also extremely important that we coordinate our support for frequent and regular high-speed trains from Copenhagen to Hamburg when the Fehmarnbelt fixed link is finished,” Frank Jensen said.

The written agreements are wide-ranging. One goal is to work together to attract tourists from the US. A working group will also be created to focus on closer cooperation in infrastructure, shared interests in Brussels and urban development. 

But the main reason for the meeting and the focal point of the discussions and agreements in Copenhagen was the Fehmarnbelt fixed link. Scholz signed a cooperation treaty for Hamburg with a clear "yes" in favour of the fixed link. A "yes" that Hamburg had not been ready to give. 

Both mayors highlighted the many opportunities and the potential for the entire region and for their cities that could be created as a result of the agreement. They also spoke in concrete terms: "It is extremely important for our future cooperation that the necessary infrastructure in Denmark and Northern Germany reaches a level that can reduce travel time between the two cities to a maximum of 2.5 hours with high-speed rail links."  

The cooperation between the cities is currently taking shape: by the end of the year, the working group will be set up and Frank Jensen is planning a reciprocal visit to Hamburg in the first half of 2012.