Infrastructure: The Next German Challenge?

Especially in western Germany, many infrastructures are aging rapidly. In the late 1960s and 1970s, infrastructure in the western federal states was massively expanded. This is especially true of the Autobahn network, which forms the backbone of the transport infrastructure. But electricity and communication networks were also brought up to an exemplary standard for the time. Afterwards, investments in infrastructure in the west of the republic were significantly reduced, while strain on the existing networks continued to increase. After the turn of the millennium, investments in infrastructure were cut nationwide. For about a decade and a half, Germany lived off its substance, especially in the area of transport infrastructure, and struggled to adapt electricity and communication networks to the demands of decentralised energy generation and mobile data use. In fact, policymakers have begun to respond to these challenges. Since around 2015, the budgets for infrastructure investments have been increasing again and new positions are also being created for the engineers needed for implementation. Unfortunately, it has also become apparent that the problems now go far beyond a lack of funds from public budgets. German planning and approval procedures are proving to be particularly obstructive. These approval procedures have largely mutated into a right to prevent construction. The situation is exacerbated by a clear shortage of skilled workers. This extends from the planning and approving authorities to the construction industry and the agencies in charge of grid operation.