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Germany eases truck driving ban on holidays, drawing industry praise and environmentalist criticism
🇩🇪 Germany /Environment & Climate

Germany eases truck driving ban on holidays, drawing industry praise and environmentalist criticism

From Der Spiegel · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • German industry groups praised the government's temporary easing of Sunday and holiday driving bans for trucks.
  • Environmentalists criticized the move, arguing it's not a solution to low river levels caused by the climate crisis.
  • The industry called for increased investment in climate-resilient infrastructure and modernizing transport systems.

Germany's Federal Association of Industries (BDI) welcomed the government's decision to temporarily lift driving bans for trucks on Sundays and holidays. This measure aims to compensate for reduced shipping capacity on rivers due to low water levels. Holger Lösch, deputy chief executive of the BDI, stated that the government is demonstrating its ability to act in the current extreme situation, helping to mitigate the impact of low water levels and stabilize value chains. However, he cautioned that this shift to road and rail transport would not fully compensate for the missing capacities on waterways.

Replacing river transport with hundreds or thousands of truck journeys is not a solution and will burden people and the climate.

— Olaf BandtBUND chairman Olaf Bandt criticized the decision to allow more truck traffic.

The environmental organization BUND sharply criticized the relaxation of the ban. BUND chairman Olaf Bandt argued that replacing river transport with hundreds or thousands of truck journeys is not a solution and will burden people and the climate. He emphasized that low river levels are a symptom of the climate crisis, and solutions lie in intact river landscapes for water retention, not in dredging riverbeds or increasing truck traffic. Bandt called for adapting inland shipping to rivers, not the other way around.

The government is demonstrating its ability to act in the current extreme situation.

— Holger LöschBDI deputy chief executive Holger Lösch praised the government's response.

Instead of allowing trucks to drive on Sundays and holidays, Bandt urged the government to ensure that rail infrastructure can better handle bottlenecks in inland shipping in the future. The BUND chairman also stressed the need for investment in climate-resilient transport infrastructure, faster planning and approval processes, and sufficient personnel in responsible authorities. The BDI also highlighted the importance of modernizing infrastructure and suggested promoting the procurement of ships capable of operating in low-water conditions.

Low river levels are a symptom of the climate crisis.

— Olaf BandtBUND chairman Olaf Bandt linked low river levels to the climate crisis.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Der Spiegel in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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