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22 June 2026

First joint visit: German and Danish transport ministers visit Fehmarnbelt tunnel construction sites

The German Federal Minister of Transport, Patrick Schnieder, and his Danish counterpart Signe Munk jointly visited the construction sites of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel. It was both their first personal meeting and their first visit to the cross-border infrastructure project. Also present was Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Transport, Claus Ruhe Madsen.

The visit began at the German tunnel portal near Puttgarden, where the ministers were briefed on the current construction progress on the German side. Around 90 percent of the 600-metre-long future tunnel entrance on Fehmarn has already been completed.

Schnieder and Munk then travelled on to the tunnel element factory in Rødbyhavn on the Danish island of Lolland. There, they gained insight into the production of the 217-metre-long tunnel elements as well as their transport: via basins, the completed elements are moved into the work harbour and from there towed together with a purpose-built special vessel into the Fehmarnbelt, where they are immersed. In May, the first of a total of 89 tunnel elements has been immersed off the coast of Lolland, the second one is to be immersed shortly.

“The Fehmarnbelt tunnel is a key project for European infrastructure. What impressed me most today were the sheer scale of the tunnel elements and the engineering expertise with which this complex structure is being realised. I am firmly convinced that this project will bring Germany and Denmark even closer together, both economically and politically. This missing link will benefit not only the people here on Fehmarn and Lolland, but across Denmark, Germany and Europe as a whole,” said Patrick Schnieder, German Federal Minister of Transport.

Signe Munk, Denmark’s Minister of Urban and Rural Affairs and Transport, emphasised: “Cross-border cooperation in Europe is more important than ever, and the Fehmarnbelt Link is a strong example of what we can achieve together. The link will bring Denmark and Germany even closer together and foster development across the entire region – particularly on Lolland, where both the construction and the future opportunities for tourism will generate growth and new opportunities.” 

The Fixed Fehmarnbelt link plays a central role in the important European Scan-Med transport corridor, connecting Scandinavia with Central and Southern Europe. It will also bring people on both sides of the Fehmarnbelt closer together.

“I therefore see this deeply European project as a regional project as well,” said Claus Ruhe Madsen, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Transport. “This presents Schleswig-Holstein with a major opportunity to position itself as part of a new, strong cross-border region – also with tangible momentum for regional tourism.”

For Mikkel Hemmingsen, CEO of the project owner Sund & Bælt, the visit by the transport ministers is a clear signal of political support for the project: “I am very pleased to welcome no fewer than three transport ministers to our construction sites. The Fehmarnbelt tunnel is a project of international importance that is only possible thanks to the close partnership between Germany and Denmark. The visit underlines the shared commitment to this key European infrastructure project.”

 

About the Fehmarnbelt tunnel
The 18-kilometre Fehmarnbelt tunnel is one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects. As the world’s longest immersed tunnel, it will connect Germany and Denmark. Once completed, the crossing will take just 10 minutes by car and seven minutes by train.