Berlin The new Minister for Digital and Transport is relying on what American President Franklin D. Roosevelt once asked the media about his New Deal: a grace period of 100 days. While Roosevelt whipped through reform after reform against the economic crisis, Volker Wissing wants to familiarize himself, prepare decisions and then position himself publicly.
The clock has been ticking since December 8, 2021: Will he be offering a “New Deal” from his Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) by spring? The officials, but also the transport companies – from Deutsche Bahn AG to Deutsche Lufthansa to logisticians, local transport companies or new pooling services – as well as the telecommunications companies Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica or 1 & 1 and many others are eagerly awaiting the concept of the first of the FDP provided Federal Minister of Transport.
Two buzzwords are already circulating: “transparency” and “cross-sector mobility”. Instead of the hubbub between industry and ministerials, which reached its inglorious climax in the diesel affair in 2015, open communication should take hold. And: Wissing wants to move away from the silo thinking of the modes of transport. In the past it was always connected with the ideological question of whether the car and the truck should have right of way or not the train, the ship, the airplane or even the bike and the pedestrian. If Wissing were to prescribe both ideas to the house in terms of both program and organization: It would be a New Deal.
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At the first internal address to their new boss, the employees were able to get a premonition: officials remember that the former FDP general secretary spoke of mobility concepts with which people come from the country to the city or on vacation – and all of this, if possible, with the optimal means of transport, non-ideological, pragmatic from the point of view of the consumer – not from the point of view of the individual industry. The 51-year-old Wissing is likely to make a similar statement in his first speech in the Bundestag, on January 13th the time will come. He will be helped by Fabian Disselbeck, previously Head of Program at the FDP Office and in the future subdivision manager for Strategic Planning.
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In the corridors, on the other hand, there is concern that the minister can only take care of traffic as a secondary issue. After all, for the first time in its history, the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport only bears the addition “Transport” at the end. In view of the ambitious climate goals, it is important to master the transport turnaround and to make mobility climate-neutral.
Drives are one thing. Wissing has already made it clear that he wants to rethink. He wants to send a clear industrial policy signal in favor of electric drives – for example through more charging infrastructure – and “don’t use a parallel strategy”. The task in the transport sector goes so far that Wissing also has to reform federal companies, from the Bahn AG to the Autobahn GmbH, which has to renovate the motorway bridges in a hurry. These mammoth tasks are the other.
The digital, which is now in the name of the ministry, should also make a contribution. Of the company’s nine departments so far, only one has been responsible for the topic, specifically for promoting broadband and mobile communications expansion and regulating the telecommunications sector. In the future, another department is to adorn the organizational chart.
Mobility data is the future field par excellence
To this end, around 40 employees from the Ministry of Economic Affairs will probably change, as it was said. So far, you are also mainly responsible for the market rules and for telemedia, i.e. internet services. A handful of positions from the Chancellery may also be added.
Wissing had hoped for more, but will certainly want to expand the digital area further. One thing is certain: the new department with at least two subdivisions will primarily deal with the future field of mobility data – it ranges from possible business models such as integrated mobility offers to autonomous driving and the right of road users to their own data.
Wissing thus ties in with the politics of the former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). At the summit meetings with the automotive industry, she had always pushed for a data room for mobility in order to uncover the last great treasure trove of data in the big data business. Wissing will also manage the digital budget announced in the coalition agreement, although it is still unclear what exactly it is.
The central department, which has expanded over the years, is also to become two departments. There would be a department for budget, finance, controlling and investment management and one for personnel and all services. Not only because of this, there are still a number of personnel decisions pending.
Cross-traffic departments as a new principle
So far, in contrast to other ministers in the Scholz cabinet, Wissing has not dismissed anyone – and has thus given up a signal of a new beginning. However, the CDU State Secretary will only remain in office for a few months. It is also questionable how long many of the department heads will be allowed to stay, some of whom stand for the old silo thinking. The minister and his top staff intend to go into retreat for two days this month.
This Wednesday, the Federal Cabinet will decide on two personal details: Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Theurer (FDP) is to be the railway commissioner, and fellow party member Oliver Luksic will be the logistics commissioner.
In the ministry, Wissing will have to fill additional management positions this year because a number of civil servants will be retiring. This applies to the rail sector as well as to road construction and waterways. Wissing did not have to dismiss anyone with patience, as the positions would be vacant anyway, it said in the house. Then the minister could also reorganize the departments in line with the proclaimed “cross-sector mobility”.
But for some, none of this happens fast enough at all. After all, a legislative period ends again after four years. The planned reorganization was a “very good, if not a new idea,” said the company. It is all the more important not to lose any time. Therefore the question remains: “Why not until 2023, why not now?”
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