Politics: Industry associations position themselves - Stop unnecessary bureaucracy
Gernot Apfelstedt
· 30.03.2023
When it comes down to it, the two leading associations of the German boating and water sports industry, the German Water Sports Industry Association (BVWW) and the German Boat and Shipbuilders' Association (DBSV), are fighting shoulder to shoulder for a common cause: the good of the industry and water sports as a whole. Joint and coordinated action was particularly in demand and successfully practised at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. When the existence of numerous businesses was threatened by lockdowns and port closures, the BVWW and DBSV turned to the federal and state governments and members of parliament with a joint catalogue of measures to restart water sports and water tourism. And when the three-year forced break of the number one international industry meeting place - boot Düsseldorf - due to the coronavirus finally came to an end, the managing directors of both industry associations, Claus-Ehlert Meyer (DBSV) and Karsten Stahlhut (BVWW), met in the middle of last year to explore further opportunities for cooperation. The result: the DBSV and BVWW organised a joint event as part of the boat 2023 The two companies jointly organised a mobility congress for the first time, which focused on the topic of "Alternative drives on water".
Development of a joint roadmap
120 participants were treated to exciting presentations that presented possible solutions to a wide range of questions from different perspectives: "How should the mobility transition on the water work? What does the omnipresent buzzword have to do with boat builders, marina operators, charter companies and water sports clubs? Where will the required energy come from, how will it be stored in the future - and which energy sources should be used? Will water sports become electric like the car industry, or are there alternative drives and fuels? What role will 'heavenly green' hydrogen and fuel cells play?" Independently of the mobility congress, the presidiums of the two associations met at boot "to develop a joint roadmap on how the industry can be led into a successful future with united strength. This is particularly important in view of the current political framework conditions," according to a press release.
Industry associations want to keep water sports attractive for customers
"The meeting was very constructive and was characterised by a number of current issues, some of which make our work as an industry unnecessarily difficult. We should work even more closely together to meet these particular challenges in order to keep water sports attractive for our customers in the future," said Robert Marx, President of the BVWW. Whether the establishment of a Baltic Sea National Parks or the newly enacted Inland Vessel Personnel Ordinance, which in future will impose a new requirement for commercially active persons, such as charter instructors, harbour masters, workshop employees or even sales staff and instructors in boating schools. Small ship product which should be comparable to an IHK examination - the current topics are diverse.
Against this backdrop in particular, it is extremely important that we as an entire industry unite to put our horsepower on the water in order to be heard politically. We see it as our task to move forward together as umbrella organisations." - Torsten Conradi, President of the DBSV
