The Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure 2 “Transport and digital infrastructure are vital for social inclusion and the strength of the econ- omy. On the other hand, the trans- port sector has a large climate foot- print. If we can square the circle of business and environmental concerns successfully in this area, we can do so anywhere. The digital transformation has the potential to become a catalyst for environ- mental modernisation. Today, high- speed internet and mobile commu- nications rank alongside good bus and rail services, railways, roads and cycle superhighways as factors which determine people’s quality of life and the competitiveness of our regions. These are the aims being pursued by the Committee.”

Cem Özdemir, /The Greens Chairman of the Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure

3 The German ’s decisions are prepared by its committees, which are estab- lished at the start of each elec- toral term. Four of them are stipulated by the Basic Law, the German constitution: the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Defence Committee, the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union and the Petitions Committee. The Budget Committee and the Committee for the Rules of Procedure are also required by law. The spheres of respon- sibility of the committees essentially reflect the Federal Government’s distribution of ministerial portfolios. This enables Parliament to scruti- nise the government’s work effectively.

The Bundestag committees The German Bundestag sets political priorities of its own by establishing additional committees for specific sub- jects, such as sport, cultural affairs or tourism. In addition, special bodies such as parlia- mentary advisory councils, The committees discuss and committees of inquiry or deliberate on items referred study commissions can also to them by the plenary. They be established. The commit- also have the right to take up tees are composed of mem- issues on their own initiative, bers of all the parliamentary allowing them to set priorities groups, reflecting the balance in the parliamentary debate. of these groups in the German When necessary, they draw Bundestag. The distribution on external expertise – usu- of the chairs and deputy ally by holding public hear- chairs among the parliamen- ings. At the end of a commit- tary groups also reflects their tee’s deliberations, a majority relative strengths in the ple- of its members adopt a rec­om- nary. In the current electoral mendation for a decision and term, the committees have a report, which serve as the between nine and 49 mem- basis for the plenary’s deci- bers. sion.

5 The Committee

The subjects dealt with by the Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure, which is chaired by Cem Özdemir (Alliance 90/The Greens), affect everyone in Germany – whether they use mobile com- munications, surf the internet, travel by train, car, bicycle, ship or plane, or are waiting at home for a parcel to be delivered. With 43 members, the Committee is one of the largest in the German Bundes- tag. The Committee’s work has a significant influence on transport, quality of life, the economy, regional com- petitiveness, and climate and environmental protection throughout Germany and beyond. The Committee participates in the legislative process, ­submits political recommen- dations to the plenary and

The Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure and its work in practice scrutinises the government’s work. It grapples with current problems and questions for the future such as: How will we travel in future? How can we square the circle of mobil- ity, transport and climate pro- hearings, and submits recom- tection? How can we transport mendations for decisions goods intelligently, efficiently to the plenary. Transport and and in an environmentally digital policy-making has to friendly manner? How can take diverse European and we make high-speed internet international factors into access and mobile communi- account. The Committee cations available to everyone, therefore also discusses inter- as far as possible? The Com- national matters and exam- mittee is responsible for the ines EU initiatives. policy field with the largest investment budget, as the planning, construction, Transport infrastructure ­maintenance and renewal of transport and digital infra- One of the most important structure requires a great deal recent decisions in which of money. the Committee played a key The Committee discusses role was the adoption of the items falling within its remit Federal Transport Infrastruc- which are referred to it by ture Plan for the period to the plenary or the President 2030, which involves around of the Bundestag, but it also 270 billion in funding. takes up issues on its own For the first time, a ­Waterways ­initiative and provides impe- Upgrading Act was also tus for the political debate. adopted, forming the basis In this context, it obtains for upgrading the federal information, holds public waterways.

15 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CDU/CSU 9 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ SPD 6 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ AfD 5 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ FDP 4 ■ ■ ■ ■ Party 4 ■ ■ ■ ■ Alliance 90/The Greens

Number of members: 43 Chairman: Cem Özdemir, Alliance 90/The Greens Deputy Chairwoman: , FDP

7 Modes of transport

Issues relating to rail transport also attract significant public Improving planning capaci- interest. On a day-to-day basis, ties and speeding up planning the focus here is on the qual- in the context of transport ity of rail services, customer- projects, as well as giving the friendliness and punctuality, public a greater say in trans- but also, for example, the pro- port planning, will be key tection of lineside residents ­priorities for the Committee, from railway noise, the condi- including against the back- tion of stations and accessibil- ground of the current increase ity on board trains. The sub- in the budget for transport jects are discussed in detail by infrastructure. The reorgani­ the Committee. Vital local sation of the trunk road passenger rail services will administration agreed in benefit from the significant the last electoral term and the increase in devolved funding establishment of a federal agreed in the last electoral trunk road company are also term. among the topics discussed With regard to air transport, by the Committee. the focus is on the standard­ The tolling scheme for heavy isation of rules in Europe goods vehicles (HGVs) is a and aviation safety, but also key component of the planned the sector’s environmental shift to the “user pays” prin­ and climate-related impact. ciple for transport. The Com- The construction of the new mittee examines the scheme’s ­ Brandenburg Airport development on an ongoing is also a frequent subject of basis. The passenger car toll- the Committee’s ­deliberations. ing scheme agreed in the last Intensive discussions on how electoral term was also the to deal with autonomous subject of intensive and con- aerial systems, better known tentious public debate. as drones, already took place

8 Sustainable and ­climate-friendly transport

A key aim of the Committee’s work is securing comprehen- sive, sustainable transport, with a focus on environment in the last electoral term. and social compatibility, and Improving road safety is an modernising Germany’s posi- important priority for the tion as a key location for busi- Committee. The focus is cur- ness. Several very different rently on what can be done requirements have to be bal- to prevent collisions between anced in this context: people HGVs and cyclists, which are want to be mobile, travel on often fatal, for example by holiday, be supplied with introducing turn assist sys- goods and have secure jobs. tems. At the same time, they expect Measures to curb illegal street to be protected from the dis- racing and speeding also advantages of transport, such remain an important issue. as noise, air pollution, land The deliberations on long-­ use and the risk of accidents. distance lorry drivers’ driving Policy-makers have to square time and rest periods focus the circle of these competing both on road safety and on the requirements. social conditions for workers A shift from roads to other in the road haulage industry. modes of transport such as Many people are unaware that rail and waterways could help the Committee is also respon- to achieve this, for example. sible for the German Meteoro- The use of new propulsion logical Service and deals with technologies – such as electric the European navigation satel- mobility – also plays a vital lite system Galileo. role in this context, as do

9 Transport and digital systems

Transport can also be made safer and more efficient by means of digital infrastructure. Many forms of transport are now all but unimaginable without the support provided by digital systems. Vehicles are already “rolling computer networks”, and this trend will be intensified further by the current shift towards highly emission-abatement technolo- automated and autonomous gies, such as low-noise brake driving. The Committee is blocks for freight wagons or monitoring this trend particu- low-noise aircraft engines. larly closely. The Committee also discusses For rail passengers, too, forward-looking approaches access to the digital world is to traditional technologies, playing an ever more impor- such as diesel. Its agenda tant role, for example in the ­regularly features subjects availability of wireless inter- such as emission limits, nitro- net access on board trains and gen oxide and carbon dioxide sufficient density of mobile ­levels, realistic emission masts along rail routes to measurements, and the ­provide coverage. And rail is upgrading of existing vehicles also seeing the introduction by retrofitting. The same is of digital systems “behind the true of topics such as support scenes”: digital signal boxes for cycling as an alternative, and the European Train Con- climate-friendly form of trans- trol System (ETCS) are just port, and transport’s role in two of the topics examined by the context of climate change. the Committee in this context.

10 Digital infrastructure

Digital infrastructure makes an important contribution to people’s quality of life, facili- tates a wide range of ways to share information, and helps to ensure that Germany is a key location for business. This is only possible if high-quality infrastructure is as widely available as possible. The Committee will therefore con- tinue to deal with issues such as extending the broadband infrastructure and creating a modern mobile communica- tions infrastructure. The digital transformation These various links between also entails new risks with “transport” and “digital infra- which the Committee must structure” mark the place grapple. As digital infra­ where the two fields of policy structure becomes more and dealt with by the Committee more important, it must be intersect. The examples given fully protected against out- above illustrate the diverse ages and attacks. These issues range of subjects which make also include the distraction up the work of the Committee caused by mobile devices on Transport and Digital Infra- when driving, for example. structure. The issues it deals The consequences of the digi- with are highly topical, are tal transformation also pose crucial to our future, have an challenges for the transport international dimension and network. For example, the can, at times, be contentious – rise of e-commerce is result- but above all else, they are ing in a considerable increase issues which affect everyone in goods ­transport. in Germany.

11 Cem Özdemir, Alliance 90/The Greens Chairman Youth and community worker, b. 21 Dec. 1965 in Bad Urach; Daniela Kluckert, married; FDP two children. Deputy Chairwoman Bundestag Member Economist, from 1994 to 2002, b. 22 Dec. 1980 MEP from 2004 in Nuremberg; to 2009, married. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2013 since 2017

Committee members The 43 members of the Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure

12 , CDU/CSU , , Public manager, CDU/CSU CDU/CSU marketing Public administration Administrative and sales specialist, specialist, ­enforcement officer, b. 20 Nov. 1960 b. 8 June 1967 b. 28 Oct. 1956 in Karl-Marx-Stadt in Metzingen, in Magdeburg; (now ); Baden-Württemberg; married; married; married; two children. one child. three children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2009 since 2002 since 2013

Daniela Ludwig, CDU/CSU , CDU/CSU spokes­ CDU/CSU , woman on Bank clerk, CDU/CSU the Committee former mayor, IT consultant, Lawyer, b. 10 Sep. 1956 b. 28 Apr. 1973 b. 7 July 1975 in Weiding; in Düsseldorf; in ; married; married; married; three children. one child. two children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2009 since 2009 since 2002

13 Florian Oßner, , CDU/CSU CDU/CSU Economist, Dr Christoph Ploß, Master glazier, b. 5 July 1980 CDU/CSU b. 14 Mar. 1962 in Vilsbiburg; Historian, in Lüneburg; married; b. 19 July 1985 married; two children. in Hamburg. five children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2013 since 2017 since 2009

Felix Schreiner, CDU/CSU Member of Land Parliament until 2017, , , executive board CDU/CSU CDU/CSU assistant, Business administrator, Lawyer, public employee, b. 24 Oct. 1952 b. 1 May 1968 b. 29 Jan. 1986 in Warendorf; in Kyllburg; in Waldshut; married; married. married. three children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2009 since 2017 since 2009

14 , Björn Simon, CDU/CSU , CDU/CSU Business administrator, CDU/CSU Political scientist, b. 12 Feb. 1958 Business administrator, b. 18 May 1981 in Bad Segeberg; b. 31 Oct. 1979 in Offenbach am Main; married; in Cologne; married. three children. married. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2017 since 2002 since 2017

Gustav Herzog, SPD , Chemical laboratory SPD technician, Railway officer, b. 11 Oct. 1958 , b. 14 Oct. 1964 in Harxheim, SPD in Würzburg; Palatinate; Teacher, married; married; b. 1 Feb. 1952 two children. two children. in . Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2005 since 1998 since 2013

15 Kirsten Lühmann, SPD Detlef Müller, SPD spokeswoman SPD on the Committee Train driver, , Police officer, b. 20 Aug. 1964 SPD b. 28 Apr. 1964 in Karl-Marx-Stadt Public administrator, in Oldenburg; (now Chemnitz); b. 27 July 1985 married; four children. in Gütersloh. three children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member from 2005 to 2009 since 2017 since 2009 and since 2014

Udo Schiefner, , SPD , SPD Quality assurance SPD Hydraulic and technician, Skilled port worker, construction b. 7 Aug. 1959 b. 14 Feb. 1966 technician, in Kempen; in Bremerhaven; b. 21 Feb. 1970 married; married; in Kiel; one child. one child. one child. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2013 since 2017 since 2017

16 Leif-Erik Holm, , Matthias Büttner, AfD AfD AfD Economist, Property agent, IT specialist, b. 1 Aug. 1970 b. 29 June 1952 b. 4 Nov. 1990 in Schwerin; in Neuenkirchen; in Stendal; married; married; unmarried. two children. six children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2017 since 2017 since 2017

Dr , AfD , AfD spokesman , AfD on the Committee AfD Ship’s officer, Engineer, IT specialist, b. 18 Jan. 1958 b. 3 Nov. 1971 b. 20 Oct. 1964 in Dessau; in ; in Munich; married; married; divorced; two children. one child. two children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2017 since 2017 since 2017

17 Dr , , , FDP FDP FDP Former director Business consultant, FDP spokesman of studies, b. 9 Oct. 1979 on the Committee b. 20 Dec. 1977 in Saarbrücken; Business administrator, in ; married; b. 23 Aug. 1973 married; two children. in ; two children. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member from 2009 to 2013 since 2017 since 2017 and since 2017

Bernd Reuther, Jörg Cezanne, FDP The Left Party Social scientist, Executive, sociologist, , b. 1 May 1971 b. 8 June 1958 The Left Party in Wesel; in Frankfurt am Main; b. 7 Aug. 1961 married; divorced; in Heidelberg; one child. one child. married; one child. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member since 2017 since 2017 since 2009

18 Andreas Wagner, The Left Party The Left Party spokes- , man on the Committee The Left Party Toolmaker, Social scientist, curative education , b. 26 Mar. 1965 therapist, Alliance 90/The Greens in Ibbenbüren; b. 16 Apr. 1972 Self-employed unmarried; in Bad Tölz; business mediator, one child. married; b. 26 Dec. 1970 Bundestag Member three children. in . from 2009 to 2013 Bundestag Member Bundestag Member and since 2017 since 2017 since 2013

Stefan Gelbhaar, Alliance 90/The Greens , Alliance 90/The Greens Stephan Kühn, Alliance 90/The Greens spokesman Alliance 90/The Greens Former city councillor, on the Committee Sociologist, b. 4 Apr. 1957 Lawyer, b. 6 Sep. 1979 in ; b. 9 July 1976 in Dresden; married; in Berlin; unmarried, one child. two children. one child. Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member from 2009 to 2013 since 2017 since 2009 and since 2017

19 Information online

The Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure www.bundestag.de/en/committees/a15

20 Contact details for the Committee Secretariat

Deutscher Bundestag Ausschuss für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur Platz der Republik 1 11011 Berlin Tel.: +49 30 227-32426 Fax: +49 30 227-30017 Email: [email protected]

21 Published by: German Bundestag, Public Relations Division Coordination: Robert Schönbrodt Texts: Georgia Rauer (p. 4 – 5), Secretariat of the Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure (p. 6 –21); revised by: Committees Directorate (p. 4 – 5) Edited by: Marianne Wollenweber Translated by: Language Service of the German Bundestag, in cooperation with Emma Hardie Design: Marc Mendelson Bundestag eagle: Created by Professor Ludwig Gies, revised in 2008 by büro uebele Photos: p. 2 Deutscher Bundestag (DBT) / ​Linus Lintner Fotografie; p. 8–9, 10, 11 DBT / ​Marco Urban; p. 23 DBT / ​studio kohlmeier Portrait photos: p. 3, 12 DBT / ​Thomas Trutschel / ​photothek (Cem Özdemir); p. 12 DBT / ​Inga Haar (Daniela Kluckert); p. 13 DBT / ​Achim Melde (Manfred Behrens); DBT / ​Thomas Köhler / ​photothek (Veronika Bellmann); Jan Kopetzky (Michael Donth); Foto-Wagner Furth im Wald (Karl Holmeier); DBT / ​Achim Melde (Thomas Jarzombek); Markus Schmuck (); p. 14 Foto Pleyer (Florian Oßner); Jens Oellermann (Christoph Ploß); Jörg Ahlfeld (Eck- hard Pols); Jan Kopetzky (Patrick Schnieder); Jung von Matt (Felix Schrei- ner); DBT / ​Thomas Köhler / ​photothek (Reinhold Sendker); p. 15 Björn Simon / ​Patrick Liste (Björn Simon); Laurence Chaperon (Gero Storjohann); Carsten Simon (Markus Uhl); DBT / ​Thomas Trutschel / ​photothek (Martin Burkert); SPD party executive / ​Susie Knoll (); SPD party exe- cutive / ​Benno Kraehahn (Arno Klare) p. 16 SPD party executive / Susie Knoll (Elvan Korkmaz); SPD party executive / ​Benno Kraehahn (Kirsten Lühmann); SPD party executive / ​Susie Knoll (Detlef Müller); DBT / ​Thomas Köhler / ​ photothek (); SPD party executive / ​Susie Knoll (Uwe Schmidt); DBT / ​Thomas Trutschel / ​photothek (Mathias Stein); p. 17 Marcel Auerswald (Matthias Büttner); Leif-Erik Holm / ​Studioline Photography (Leif-Erik Holm); Janina Buck (Frank Magnitz); DBT / ​Julia Nowak (Andreas Mrosek); Photo Bergmeister (Dirk Spaniel); DBT / ​Julia Nowak (Wolfgang Wiehle); p. 18 Karsten Prausse (Torsten Herbst); Frank Ossenbrink (Christian Jung); Frank Nürnberger (Oliver Luksic); Maike Maier (); DBT / ​Inga Haar (Jörg Cezanne); Uwe Steinert (Sabine Leidig); p. 19 DBT / ​Achim Melde (Ingrid Remmers); DBT / ​Stella von Saldern (Andreas Wagner); DBT / ​Achim Melde (Matthias Gastel); Marco Fechner (); DBT / ​Thomas Trutschel / ​photothek (Stephan Kühn); DBT / ​Julia Nowak (Daniela Wagner) Graphic: p. 7 Marc Mendelson Printed by: Druckhaus Waiblingen Remstal-Bote GmbH As at: December 2018 © Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin All rights reserved. This publication has been produced as part of the German Bundestag’s ­public relations activities. It is provided free of charge and is not intended for sale. It may not be used for election campaign purposes or utilised by parties or parliamentary groups in their own public relations activities. 23 The German Bundestag takes decisions on what are at times highly complex and controversial bills and parliamentary initiatives relating to the entire spectrum of policy fields. The committees play a central role in parliamentary deliberations. They are the forum where the Members thrash out compromises and draw on expert advice before submitting their reports and recommen­dations for decisions to be voted on by the Bundestag as a whole. www.bundestag.de/en/committees