BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The CDU/CSU has called on the German government to push ahead with the hinterland connections of German ports. This also involves the controversial A26 East port highway in the south of Hamburg. Christoph Ploß, head of the Hamburg CDU and member of the Bundestag, criticized in the Bundestag on Friday that the Greens had initiated a debate about the highway. The A26 East, however, is enormously important for the port, he said.

In a motion, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group demanded, among other things, that the federal government provide more financial resources than before for the development of port infrastructures. In addition, a federal-state funding program for the renovation of shore and quay walls should be launched in the near future.

Despite an agreement in the coalition agreement with the SPD, Hamburg's Green Party had again called into question the construction of the so-called harbor passage between the A7 and the A1. Till Steffen, a Green member of the Hamburg parliament, told the "Hamburger Abendblatt": "As a traffic light coalition, we have agreed that we will revise the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan according to climate criteria." He said that the A26 East was the construction that cost the most money per kilometer and caused CO2.

CDU politician Ploß said that the A26 East must be planned and built as quickly as possible. The port industry is relying on this.

Speakers from the traffic light coalition accused the CDU/CSU of neglecting the ports during their time in government. For example, Michael Kruse, head of Hamburg's FDP party and member of the Bundestag, said the traffic light coalition had inherited many construction sites. Uwe Schmidt, an SPD member of parliament, announced that the first results of a planned national port strategy should be available by the fall.

The new coordinator of the federal government for maritime economy and tourism, Dieter Janecek (Greens), emphasized the importance of ports for the expansion of, for example, wind power at sea and for the import of hydrogen. He said the federal government wants to strengthen the ports./hoe/DP/nas