It is high season for annual accounts. Thus also for the Femern Belt Development foundation, which works to ensure that Region Zealand and the Femern Belt region’s geographical area gets growth and development from the Femern project.
Judging by the dry numbers, it has been a perfectly good year for the commercial fund. Femern Belt Development came out of 2022 with a small profit of almost DKK 100,000. The money is deposited into the account, so that the fund’s equity now amounts to just over two million kroner.
Funded by member fees and consultancy work
Femern Belt Development’s income comes partly from membership fees from the foundation’s members. The membership today includes Region Zealand, 3F, DI and the municipalities of Lolland, Guldborgsund, Vordingborg, Stevns, Faxe, Køge, Næstved, Svendborg, Langeland and Roskilde. In addition, the fund sells various service and consultancy services.
– It is not intended that we should disturb a profit. It has been a good year when we have helped Danish companies onto the construction site and into the project, says CEO of Femern Belt Development, Stig Rømer Winther.
Positive spillover on Lolland-Falster and South Zealand
From the management report in the annual report, it appears that 2022 has been a good year:
The activities have affected violently in a positive sense not only the area at Rødbyhavn, but also the larger geography that covers the rest of Lolland-Falster and South Zealand. In addition to a high level of employment in the local area by local labor, a very large number of foreign labor has moved in, who work on the tunnel factory itself and the associated construction works on land and at sea. In addition, a larger number of international employees and experts have moved in, who with their families are expected to be in the area for a number of years, the annual report states.
Looking towards Northern Germany
Femern Belt Development is now expanding its focus area southwards.
In 2022, the foundation has continued to provide advice to the German municipalities and organizations and in this way contributed to a more positive attitude towards the permanent connection and the development opportunities it will provide for the Femern region in the coming years. In the coming years, the foundation will continue the close dialogue with stakeholders on the German side, and continuously develop the cooperation with the German business promotion organizations in the corridor from Puttgarden to Hamburg, states the management report.
More municipal contributions
Going forward, Femern Belt Development will bet on increased municipal membership contributions, so that it can strengthen its interests and carry out more activities.
It has previously been decided that Femern Belt Development will work with a differentiated contribution rate, so that the municipalities closest to the Femern project pay the highest quota per inhabitant.
