Elbe Alliance e.V. welcomes German-Czech Elbe Agreement

With the signing of the Elbe Agreement between Germany and the Czech Republic, a demand from the German Bundestag is being implemented after four years. The aim is to make the Elbe navigable. The Elbe Alliance considers the criticism from environmental organizations and other parties to be unfounded.

(Berlin) The Elbe is to become navigable. This is the declared goal of the agreement to improve the navigability of the Elbe. On July 20, 2021, Czech Transport Minister Karel Havlíček and his German counterpart Andreas Scheuer signed the agreement. Almost exactly four years later, a demand from the German Bundestag has been implemented. In addition to the implementation of the overall concept for the Elbe (GKE), the agreement also provides for the development of agreements with the Czech Republic. These are intended to give the neighboring country security regarding the preservation of the inland Elbe as an international waterway.

Both countries have integrated their national planning foundations into the agreement. For Germany, the GKE with all its components serves as the basis for expansion planning, while for the Czech side, it ensures the existing loading conditions with a usable water depth of 2.30 m from Ústí nad Labem and Týnec nad Labem, and further expansion to Pardubice to a water depth of 2.30 m.

Flood protection and ecological goals integrated

The representative of Elbe Alliance e.V. in the advisory board of the GKE process, Stefan Kunze, is puzzled by the current reactions from environmental organizations and state authorities regarding the agreement. “The reference to the overall concept for the Elbe secures, alongside the transport goals, a multitude, if not a majority, of ecological measures, as well as issues related to flood protection and other usage concerns,” explains Stefan Kunze. “Perhaps the absence of direct environmental goals in the agreement is the cause,” he speculates, pointing to its character as a transport contract. At the same time, uncertainties regarding terminology between the two countries could be the reason.

Kunze points out that the Czech and German data on water depth are not directly comparable. While in the Czech Republic, the 2.30 m in the dammed area indicates an actual water depth, the 1.40 m fairway in Germany is merely a hydrological planning figure. Therefore, direct conclusions about the actual water depth on the German side are not possible and are also heavily dependent on the current water supply, in addition to the state of expansion. “Shipping and its customers therefore sometimes find significantly better loading conditions, but unfortunately – as in the past three years – also significantly worse conditions.” However, it is clear that there is a connection between loading conditions and the quantities of goods transported – no water, no cargo, and vice versa.

Shipping should be possible 340 days a year

“We are confident that after the implementation of the GKE, shippers in Germany and the Czech Republic will have a more reliable transport route available,” describes Kunze the expectations of the economy.

Transport Minister Karel Havlíček emphasized the goals of the agreement following the signing. “The Elbe is an important European river for which the Czech Republic and Germany bear responsibility. In short, we will get the Elbe on track so that shipping will be possible 340 days a year. The goal is to have shipping on the Elbe from Pardubice to Hamburg by 2030.” This will make the Elbe an important part of the European TEN-T network, a network of the most important transport connections of European significance.

Photo: © Elbe Alliance / Caption: The Elbe near Dresden