24/02/2026 - 'The federal and state governments plan to invest 500 billion euros in the modernisation of our transport infrastructure. However, this funding will only reach bridges, roads, railways, and waterways if necessary accelerations in approval procedures are implemented and subsequently established as routine practice. With the draft for the Infrastructure Future Act, the federal government has initiated crucial steps. Now it is up to the Bundestag to further enhance the law.

The coalition must act decisively. It is insufficient to marginally speed up individual projects. There is an urgent need for significantly greater pace across all undertakings intended to future-proof our nation. Proposals from the business sector and the states are already on the table.

Three particular improvements are vital: Firstly, the modernisation of all modes of transport should be classified as a predominant public interest. Secondly, endless cycles of expert reviews must be ended through clear cut-off regulations. Thirdly, replacement new constructions should consistently be exempted from approval and inspection obligations.

In parallel, federal and state governments must finally make progress on their modernisation agendas. The DIHK Acceleration Monitor indicates that two years after the completion of the acceleration pact, the majority of agreed measures have yet to see any implementation. The much-touted 'Germany pace' remains an illusion.

Decisive steps must now be taken to set the course for speed without equivocation: In virtually every region of our country, there are urgently needed projects that must advance. Each IHK is aware of numerous bottlenecks and dilapidated bridges that hinder daily growth. For businesses, their employees, customers, and suppliers, it makes an enormous difference whether bridges, motorway sections, railway lines, or locks are completed ten years earlier or later. Federal and state governments must now pull together and avoid getting bogged down in minor details.'