Together with our members, the German Marine Federation (BVWW) and the Swiss Boatbuilding Association, EBI co-organised a panel discussion at the Interboot in September. The aim was to raise awareness in the industry on the Lake Constance authorities’ target of decarbonisation by 2040 and discuss the process and views of industry in an open format.

Participating on the panel were Philipp Franke (Head of Unit, Ministry of Transport Baden-Württemberg), Dr. Steffen Häbich (Head of Department Special Interest, ADAC e.V.), Nico Winkler (Manage reFuels, Präg Energie) and Ulrich Schäfer (Country Manager Germany, Benelux & Switzerland for Mercury Marine).

Representing EBI on the panel was Karsten Stahlhut as Chair of the Executive Committee. He resumed that “the panel discussion generated a great deal of interest. The IBK's openness to technology is particularly positive. Unlike other regions, it does not want to electrify everything, but rather approaches the issue in a serious and solution-oriented manner. We are all pursuing the same goal and I am sure that with this approach we can and will achieve very rapid and efficient progress and intermediate goals in order to incorporate the technological advances of the next 15 years into the solution-finding process. From my perspective, the path that has been taken is sustainable and, above all, feasible.”

Together with its members in the bordering countries of Lake Constance, EBI will continue to engage with the authorities driving the process to ensure a realistic but ambitious approach that industry can support.