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3h ago

German Seaports Ask Pistorius To Finance Port Upgrades From Defence Budget

A newly disclosed ZDS letter casts harbors as NATO logistics hubs at risk, requesting roughly €3 billion for dual-use works.

15 Milliarden Euro Investitionen in die Seehäfen fordert ZDS, um sich auf militärische Szenarien vorbereiten zu können. (Symbolbild)
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Overview

  • The July 15 letter from the seaports association ZDS, signed by Angela Titzrath and Florian Keisinger, asks Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to allocate regular defence-budget funds for ports.
  • ZDS identifies about €3 billion to prepare for a defence scenario, focusing on heavy-load areas, quay walls, rail links, and protections against attacks and cyber threats.
  • The request portrays seaports as essential for Bundeswehr and NATO deployments and as exposed targets in a conflict.
  • Industry estimates around €15 billion in overall port investment needs versus current federal support of €38.3 million per year plus a €400 million four-year climate program.
  • No commitment from the defence ministry is reported, with the push citing a precedent for funding military-relevant roads and rails from Einzelplan 14 and occurring as the defence budget stands at €62.4 billion plus €24 billion from the special fund.