On Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 September the President of the German Bundesrat paid a visit to the Netherlands. On Thursday, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr Jan Anthonie Bruijn, and the Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies, Ms Anne Kuik, received the President of the German Bundesrat, Mr Peter Tschentscher. Tschentscher is also First Mayor of the city-state of Hamburg. He was received in the First Chamber at the Lange Voorhout in The Hague.
In his welcome speech, the President of the First Chamber spoke of cooperation between Hamburg and Rotterdam, two important port cities. In that context, he not only spoke of the trade that the ports offer to both countries, but also of the serious drug crime generated by the trade through those ports. He also stressed the need for the European Union to take a more active role in the fight against terrorism, and called on the Member States to take the necessary steps to ensure that the European Union’s security is not undermined.
He also called on the Commission to take the necessary steps to ensure that the EU’s external borders are not encroached upon by the US. She said this showed a huge commitment from Germany. It also discussed joint efforts in the field of sustainability. The challenge in this area is to keep the industry competitive and at the same time implement green ambitions. She cited as an example the efforts made by both countries in the field of wind and hydrogen energy.
The Bundesrat is the German counterpart of the Senate and consists of members of the governments of the German Länder. The Bundesrat changes its chairman annually, so that each year a different Land provides the chairman. It is a tradition for the President of the Bundesrat to visit the Netherlands in the context of the good relations between the two countries. eerstekamer.nl