As the summer break draws to a close, political life in Berlin will start to ramp up again in September. Just like every other year, a number of important and heated debates have kept the federal government and the Bundestag on their toes during the summer break. For a long time, the decisions needed to save Uniper and the gas levy had even made it likely for a special session to take place.
The Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) has also only had limited time to rest. Questions around the 9-euro ticket initiative have certainly heated up the debate and kept politicians busy.
But what other topics will be of interest to the BMDV in the second half of the year? As the summer break comes to an end, join us as we look ahead to the next few months.
The debate about concessionary fares in local public transport will continue over the next few weeks and will intensify in the federal government, the Bundestag and most especially in the interaction with the federal states, making a decision necessary. Regardless of which concept prevails, it is already clear that the debate will continue to tie up considerable resources in the Federal Ministry and its top management.
As important as the discussion about simplifying and streamlining the transport associations is in this context, other rail policy initiatives will be overshadowed especially with regard to the issue of the expiring reduction in track access charges or the upcoming amendment to the Railway Regulation Act. On the other hand, the digitization of rail with the goal of increasing efficiency will also be an important component in BMDV’s upcoming digital strategy.
The digital strategy is regarded in the ministry as one of the most important planning documents for the next few years. It is expected to be approved by the federal cabinet at the end of August - to coincide with the end of the summer break. The mobility policy includes the following goals: promoting automated and connected driving, ramping up and accelerating the electromobility market, especially in terms of installing charging point infrastructure, and establishing a mobility data ecosystem.
Some might argue that these plans are nothing new. However, if they were to be implemented fully in the remaining three years of the legislative period it would be a major gain for Germany as a mobility location. Especially as the process of implementing them will also impact on various other projects, particularly those relating to climate policy.
Two other projects on the agenda for the future are a possible amendment to the Road Traffic Act and the Road Traffic Ordinance, which would take climate policy objectives into account while addressing the fluidity and safety of traffic, and a change in the toll for CO2 differentiation.
Stay tuned to find out which policies will come into effect soon and what they might mean for mobility companies. Want to know more about the future of mobility and the policies that will affect it? Check out our blog and follow us on LinkedIn for updates.